The Unseen Wounds
by MimiLuvs16
Summary: A/U and Non-Canon, short story. This is the third installment (after "The Meek Shall Inherit" and "The Burning Knot") for the "Eric and Nasira" pentalogy. This story actually takes place three weeks after the occurrences from "Revelry". In this story, Nasira feels that she is in a "good place" with Eric. So, what happens when some revelations are made and they can cause problems?
1. Chapter 1

***stumbles into FFnet while wearing a velveteen housecoat, a satin bonnet and a pair slippers***

 ***rubs at eyes***

 ***waves***

 **Author's Note:** Alright folks! Hey, it's me, MimiLuvs16. I originally didn't have any plans on posting this up now. I was planning on posting this up, in its entirety, this weekend. But thanks to some fans of my stories (and after reading several lovely messages), I've decided to post up a sample of the next installment in the "Eric  & Nasira" pentalogy. This would be consider a 'first chapter' in this short story (there will be only two chapters... Hopefully, the last chapter will be posted on Sunday night).

 **WARNINGS:** This is an A/U, non-canon story. No hunts for divergents. No mentions of Jeanine. No Abnegation massacre. Characters that are from the Divergent Series are completely OOC, in this story.

 **Rating:** Rated M for 'Mature' and it is NSFW (unless you have one cool-ass, boss). Adult Language. Adult Content. Mild Violence. Explicit Sexual language. Explicit Sexual Content. No readers under the age of 16, please.

 **Disclaimer:** *grumbles* I don't own any of the content that is in The Divergent Series. Everything, with the exception of the O/C's, belong to Veronica Roth.

 **I love reading reviews, so please don't be shy. Please enjoy this first chapter.**

 **I love you, guys! Thank you for reading my story.**

 **Please, enjoy!**

 ***scratches head and goes back to bed***

* * *

 **Some Time Later**

"…It's pretty dead around here. It's probably due to the parents being afraid…"

Nasira nodded her head in agreement. "It's the…"

"…mumps," both women announced.

The Dauntless woman's eyes scanned the plaza's inhabitants as they all stood around the memorial. She recognized all of the occupants. They were members of the same seminar that she was a part of. Right now, they were on a fifteen-minute break. So, majority of the classmates were smoking cigarettes or speaking on their cell phones.

"So how's the seminar going?" asked Sophie.

"It's boring-as-hell," grumbled the Dauntless mother.

"So it's an 'all-day thing' for you?" the caretaker inquired.

"Pretty much," answered Nasira. "We have lunch at twelve. They are supplying the lunch. It's also the time that I am permitted to call you again." Her feet began to pace. "How's my baby doing?"

Sophie giggled. "He is doing alright. Right now, I am pushing him in a baby-swing." A second later, the sounds of Lucien's shrieks of happiness was penetrated into the phone. "Do you hear him?" Sophie happily chirped into the earpiece.

"Yeah, I hear my baby boy!" Nasira informed her, smiling.

"I think that I am going to take him home, in the next thirty minutes though," the nanny declared. "It is way too quiet around here."

"That sounds like a good idea. As soon as he enters the apartment, please wash his hands. The last thing I need is for him to catch it," she told the young woman.

"Mmm-hmm, I got it, Miss G.!"

"Okay…" Nasira noticed her fellow classmates were heading back into The Training Facility. Her lips formed a snarl just as disappointment burned at her soul. 'It's time… Ugh!' She quickly glanced at the face of her wrist watch and read the time. She huffed in annoyance. "Soph," she groaned. "I have to go back to class. I am going to call you back during my lunch break, okay?"

Sophie chuckled. "Okay. Have fun in class!" she cheerfully announced. "Be nice to your classmates!"

The mother groaned, which made the nanny release a heartfelt chuckle. "I'll call you during my lunch break. Say 'bye-bye' to Luke for me."

The caretaker announced, "Luke… Luke…"

Nasira listened to her son's soft babbling.

"… Mama— Mama!" the child shrieked.

Sophie giggled. "Yeah, big boy, it's your mama! Your mama says 'Bye-Bye'. Can you say 'Bye-Bye' to your mama?" A second later, there were a set of feminine giggles.

"What happened?" asked Nasira.

"He's waving at me," she told the mother. Both women laughed.

Nasira began to stroll in the direction of the building's entrance. "Okay, I need to get off of this phone. I'll call you later, Soph."

"Okay. Speak to you later, Miss G."

The young mother disconnected the call before she stepped foot into The Training Facility. The air-conditioned air struck her as she walked pass the threshold. It was appreciated by her heated skin, which felt like it was slowly baking in the late May weather. It was the only thing that this building could provide for her. 'That… And a Dauntless Double-Trouble cheeseburger.' Her stomach rumbled in agreement. 'Whoa girl, you're not getting a cheeseburger today! You are going to have to settle with a salad and hummus with vegetables,' her conscience chastised her. 'My ass—

"Hey, watch it!"

Nasira was ripped from her thoughts and was greeted by the sight of a mob of jogging teenagers as they sprinted into her direction. 'Oh shit!' her brain hissed in astonishment. Her reflexes took over and she quickly stepped out of their path. She eyed the sprinting forms as they passed by her. 'Initiates,' she concluded. Her dark brown orbs searched out for their trainers. She hoped that she would've came across one particular frame. 'Damnit,' she cursed, when her eyes didn't spot Eric amongst the runners. With her lips pursed, she turned away from the scene and traveled to the venue where the seminar was taken place.

With a clear and alert mind, she made her way back to the room in which the symposium was taken place. Her attention was immediately drawn to the back of the classroom. She eyed the arching row of desks. Each desk was occupied by a student. "Damnit," she murmured. Her sight scanned the row of desks that was directly in front of the last row.

"Alright everyone, we're about to start in a minute, so please find a seat. If you haven't found a seat, then please find one," the symposium's orchestrator announced to the classroom's occupants.

Nasira's eyes landed on an empty seat that was in the fourth row from the back row. It just so happened to be one of the rows that was closest to the front of the classroom. 'Gah-great,' she silently groaned before she had taken a seat in that row.

She further settled into her cushioned chair. Her fingers dug through the front zippered pouch of her knapsack to procure her tape recorder. She placed the device on her desk and activated the recording feature. The seminar's organizer was true to his word. Less than thirty seconds later, the learning room's lights were dimmed and the projector's screen was resurrected. The lecture resumed. However, it didn't take her long to slip into her sub-consciousness. As she sat in the symposium, Nasira's body grew warm with nostalgia.

The young woman began to think about her son's father and his current behavior. She hasn't spoken or had seen the enigmatic Dauntless leader in three weeks. Not since the day after the birthday celebration at Dauntless village. It was on the day of Lucien's birthday. On the night before, she managed to fall asleep in her dad's old office with him. The next day, he participated in breakfast with her family and then he chauffeured Nasira and their son back home. After he dropped them off, he returned to the apartment three hours later. He had shown up to her doorstep with a small-sized birthday cake and several gifts for the toddler. For that visit, she was kept in a state of amazement. Eric had shown up to her apartment in a state of content and willingness. He appeared to be comfortable with the action of behaving silly as he interacted with their son on that day, like a father of a toddler would typically behave. He openly played with Lucien. He didn't hold any restrictions and inhibitions as he sat on the floor and kept their child happy. Then there was his willingness to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening with the mother and child. After Lucien had fallen asleep, the two parents conversed in the living room. The conversations were less sterile, but polite, between them. The topics ranged from reminiscing about the party to talking about the day's events to Lucien to Eric's impending work schedule. Before he made his departure, the Dauntless leader promised her about returning to her home on the following evening.

It was a promise that he hasn't fulfill within the past three weeks.

'Maybe he has been busy with the initiates,' she concluded. 'Yeah, that's it.'

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen…"

Nasira stared at the darkened figure that stood in front of the classroom.

"…It is time for your lunch break…"

There were declarations of joy and sighs of relief. The lecture hall's ceiling lights gradually powered up and lit up the room with a soft glow.

"…Ever since you have been great today by asking us questions and being fully engaged with us, I am going to allow you to have an extra thirty minutes for lunch," the lecturer announced. There was another wave of celebratory response inside of the hall. "If you don't know, we have provided lunch for you guys today. There's a set-up outside of the classroom, in the hallway. It isn't mandatory, but if you want something, then help yourself." There was a smattering of 'thank you' from the pool of students. Seconds later, the room began to fill up with the sounds of students preparing to go to lunch.

Nasira watched the rows of students climb out of their seats before she slipped out of her own. She snatched up her tape recorder from off of the desk and her knapsack from off of the floor, before she made her exit out of the room. As soon as she stepped outside into the late Spring weather, she pulled out her cell phone from her jeans' back pocket. She powered up the device. She immediately welcomed by the alert system that notified her about unread text messages. 'Mmm, must be Sophie,' she concluded. She glanced at her phone's screen and she was notified about several 'missed calls'. Her brow grimaced. 'No one calls me except for strangers. Who…?' Her fingers expertly pulled up the call log application. Her eyes widened in alarm. 'Oh God!' her brain whimpered.

Her fingertips quickly dialed up a number. She placed the phone's earpiece to her right ear and listened to the waves of rings that floated from the piece. Her eyes frantically scanned the plaza. She glanced at various people and envied their states of contentment. Right now, her fear was making her heart race and her body to tremble. Her brain ran several horrifying possibilities.

"Miss G.!"

The greeting unexpectedly shot out of the phone's earpiece and into Nasira's eardrum. "Sophie! What's wrong?" she asked her son's caretaker. She recognized the sense of panic that was etched inside of her tone.

"Miss G.! Hold on—

"Fee-Fee!" Lucien called out, in the background of their current location.

The mother heard the fear in her son's voice and she could sense that he was crying. Her heartbeats began a thundering pace.

"I'm right here, Lukie! I'm right here," the caretaker announced to the boy.

"She's right there, sweetheart." The statement of consolation had come from an unfamiliar voice. Possibly, it had come from a clinic nurse or from his treating physician. Even though she didn't sense any malice, it still didn't make Nasira feel any better.

"Fee-Fee," mewled Lucien.

"I'm—

"Sophie, tell me… _What-the-fuck is going on right now_?!" she unleashed into the phone's mouthpiece. The fear was allowing her sense of anger to permeate into her consciousness. Her hearing was flooded with the abrasive sounds of shuffling. It lasted for a minute. A minute that was too long, according to Nasira's standards. Horrible, fear-inducing thoughts filled the young mother's head. She wanted to know if her son was going to be alright.

"I'm sorry, Miss G.! I needed to leave the examination room, in order to—

"SOPHIE, WHAT HAPPENED TO _MY SON_?!" she shouted into her phone. Her direct shout caused several passersby to halt in their tracks and to stare at her. Nasira didn't notice the curious or alarmed gazes. The caretaker didn't respond to the mother's frantic inquiry right away. "SOPHIE, WHERE IS MY SON?!"

A few seconds later, there was a sound. It sounded like a soft cry.

"Sophie!" Nasira spoken into the phone's mouthpiece.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…" the young woman kept whimpering. She was frightened. Her meek apologies soon fell apart and splintered off into fragile whimpers.

It served as a chilled and soothing balm for the raging fiery inferno that was Nasira's anger. The worried mother was instantly reminded of the young woman's familial history. Mainly, she remembered the testimony about the abusive parents. She immediately began to feel remorse for scaring the nanny. "Sophie, I'm… Sophie, I'm sorry," she announced with a gentler voice. Her hearing was filled with the sounds of the woman's crying and fear-tinged whimpers. A second later, she blurted into the phone, "Sophie where are you?" There was the sound of a hitching in the caretaker's breathing. "Sophie…" Nasira began to pace. "…tell me where you are right now," she instructed.

There were a few whimpers. Then the nanny answered, "I'm… I'm… I'm in a bathroom".

"Okay, now tell me where this bathroom is located? In what building?" the mother instructed the woman.

"I'm… I am in the clinic," she answered, her voice was still soft.

"But, which clinic? Tell me the name of the faction, Soph."

"I'm in Dauntless," answered Sophie. Her voice became firmer and more confident.

Nasira was aware that her raised voice and her unleashed anger caused the teen to unfairly reflect back on her times living with her parents. The woman was aware that she needed to bring Sophie back to the present time. She knew that the nanny was confused about the questioning of her location, but as long as Sophie was engaging in conversation, she didn't care about the logistics.

"That's right, Soph, you are in Dauntless. You're not in Candor anymore. Your parents are not there and they cannot hurt you anymore," Nasira informed her. She huffed and ran her left set of fingers through her thick mane, out of frustration. She scanned the plaza's memorial monument. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Soph" she apologized, after a moment of non-dialogue between the two of them. "When I checked my phone and saw the clinic's… And when you kept not answering me… Then-then, when I heard Luke crying in the back… I lost it… And I took it out on you…" She looked to the ground. "…I'm sorry about that."

"It's…" whimpered Sophie, "…it's okay".

Nasira began to walk around the monument, in an effort to make this nervous energy disappear. "Do you want me to call you back in a few minutes? So, you can get your bearings and we—

"No!" Sophie blurted out. "No, Miss G.!" She stuttered a few times before uttering, "I'm fine, now. I can talk".

A small fissure of relief burrow itself into her spirit, once she heard Sophie's answer. She didn't want to disconnect the call and allow her employee to collect herself. She wanted to know why her baby was residing in the faction's clinic. As she entered a shadowed portion, which was the rear of the statue, she asked "Soph, what's wrong with Luke?"

Sophie sighed. "He fell. I had taken him home, like I said that I was going to do. After I had taken him out of his stroller, he began to run. He tripped and fell to the floor, in the living room. When he fell, he had fallen face-first. He bumped his head and busted his lip open. I knew that it was a big problem because his lips were bleeding badly and a lump started to form almost immediately. So, I called a cab and came here. On my way here, I called your phone and I texted you. I also called Dauntless Leader Coulter, too. He already received his stitches—

Alarmed, she shrieked "Stitches?!"

"Yes, he has them in his top and bottom lip," the nanny reported. "He has more in his top lip though. Right now, he is being prepped to be X-Rayed because the doctor is concerned about the bump on his head…"

'Oh God,' she whimpered. Nasira's eyes closed and her face pulled a grimace. 'My baby is about to get an X-Ray and I'm not there!'

"…They want to make sure that that bump is just a bump, Miss G."

"How is he?" she asked with her eyes still closed. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He is in high spirits, mostly. A clown was just in the kids' ward at the clinic and he was given a balloon animal. So, he's busy with that. He appears to be fine just as long I am not out of his sight. But, I don't know how he is going to feel, when they start up with this cat-scan though. I can't be in the room, when that happens."

"How many stitches does he have?" Nasira asked as she stopped walking.

"He has four in his top lip and two in his bottom lip. His top lip is also swollen and it looks like it is going to leave a bruise, soon. The bump on his forehead is nasty-looking, too."

The Dauntless mother's face slightly grimace in response. 'His father… Is going to kill my ass, once he finds out.' She lingered in the shadowed area. 'That is, if he bothers to answer his damn phone messages and read his text—Wait.'

"Soph?"

"Yes, Miss G.?"

"Did Eric ever get in contact with you?" the mother inquired.

"No ma'am, he hasn't called me or texted me. And I called him right after I had called you. Um, one of the nurses tried to speak with you, once we got here. I told her to call him. I thought that maybe he would respond to her calls. But, she told me that she couldn't speak to him because he wasn't on Luke's 'U.I.C.O.E.' contact list…"

The grimace deepened on her face just as she was alerted about a long-forgotten chore.

A day after Lucien was born, his 'Universal, In Case of Emergency' contact list, or U.I.C.O.E. List, was established, along with his birth certificate and his social security identification number. On his list, there were the names and contact information of eight people: herself as his primary contact, her mother was the second-primary contact, Sophie and five of her brothers. Eric's name and contact information wasn't on Lucien's list. Also, ever since he wasn't recognized as the toddler's father, he wasn't granted any rights to know about Lucien's health.

"…The nurse also called your mother as well," reported Sophie.

"Soph, is it possible for me to talk to Luke? I want to hear my baby's voice," she informed his caretaker.

"Sure… Mmm-hmm, Miss G.!" chirped the young woman. "Just… Hang on for a second. I have to leave this bathroom."

"Okay," Nasira softly stated. A second later, she was greeted by the sounds of muffled shuffling. Then she heard the faint sounds of Luke's persistent babbling. For the mother, she believed that he was 'chatting' with the clinic's staff member.

There was a soft click, which was followed by a clear "Mama!" His voice was slurred due to the swelling in his lip. "Mama!"

Nasira smiled. A tidal wave of relief washed over the mother as she listened to her toddler-son speak into the phone.

"Yes, Lukie-Bear! It's your mama! She wants to talk to you," Sophie's cheerful voice announced.

"Mama!" There was giggling.

Nasira chuckled. "Yes, my big boy?" she stated into the phone's mouthpiece.

Lucien continued to talk to her. She assumed that he was telling her about his visit to the clinic. She encouraged the boy to continue to speak by adding her verbal input in their conversation. With every passing second, her fear was backed into the dark corner that was in her soul. She concluded that Sophie was correct: her baby boy was fine and in high spirits.

"Okay baby boy, can I have the phone back?" she heard Sophie say, in the background. After another second, there was "Miss G., the nurses are about to take Luke to their X-Ray room, for his CAT scan. Cell phones have to be turned off and kept away," she explained.

"Okay." Nasira desperately wanted to be there for her son. She knew that she needed to remain at the seminar. "Soph, please call me as soon as you're done," she asked.

"I will, Miss G.!" the girl promised.

"And stay by him!" the mother instructed.

"I will!"

"Okay, don't forget about me," Nasira said into the phone.

"I won't. He is going to be fine, Miss G.!"

"Okay. I'll…" She shakily sighed and she glanced at the statue. "I'll see you later."

"I'll see you later, Miss G."

After the call was disconnected, Nasira felt a coldness creep upon her. It left her with a light head and a slight numbness in her limbs. Her eyes twitched in their sockets as they surveyed the plaza and its occupants. She carelessly surveyed the towering structures and the passersby, who were living their own lives.

"Excuse me? Miss?"

The concern-filled call came from behind her. With nervous energy tattooed to each of her small steps, she turned to the unknown caller. She found a woman standing there. Nasira quickly assessed the woman. ''Transfer,' the mother quickly concluded. The bystander wore Dauntless black, but she wore her clothes like she was from Candor or from Erudite. Majority of the faction members wore clothes that could be described as 'casual yet appropriate for fast-paced activities': cargo pants or jeans with tank tops or shirts. This woman wore a simple pants suit with a black blazer. She stood with a proper posture, which gave off the impression that she was from Erudite. Her eyes and her demeanor gave off compassion and concern, like an Amity person.

"Are you alright, Miss?" the woman queried. "I heard you shout out."

Nasira slowly nodded her head. "I'm… Okay, ma'am." She deeply sighed, attempting to shake the cobwebs out of her. "I just received some news that scared me, ma'am. Sorry for alarming you."

The woman gently shook her head. "It's no problem…" Her hands were poised in front of her. "…I was just a little concern. That's all."

"Thank you for…" Nasira smiled. "…Showing your concern."

The bystander smiled again. "You're welcome, dear."

"Have a good day, ma'am," the young woman said with a wave.

The woman waved before strolling away. Nasira watched the woman enter The Training Facility. Despite being reassured by his nanny and was given the information about his injuries, there was a twinge of fear circulating in her soul. Its sharp nails scratched at her spirit, leaving her body to feel the discomfort. Her heart raced and pounded against her chest. A cold sweat danced along the surface of her chocolate-brown skin. 'He's gonna be alright,' her conscience commented. 'That kid has Eric's huge noggin, so the fall shouldn't have done too much damage.' Nasira unleashed a non-emotional chuckle, a sign of her uneasy state. She took note of the phone that was being cradled in her hand. 'Call him,' her conscience urged. She glanced at The Mind's façade. Her lips pursed. 'I'll do one better.'

* * *

~*oMLo*~

Before Nasira could enter his office's waiting room, she knew about the situation that she was about to face. After speaking with the welcoming receptionist that was stationed close to the elevator bank and trekking down the hallways, she came upon Anissa's signature scent. The strong fragrance managed to rub and ingratiate itself into the air. 'He's in there with _that bitch_. Doing God knows what while his son is in the damn clinic,' she surmised as she walked in the hallway. By the time she reached the glass entryway, she was pissed.

"Good afternoon, how may I help you?" the receptionist greeted Nasira.

The tech's eyes quickly surveyed the receptionist and the waiting area, all the while the jasmine was taunting her. Her anger-filled eyes landed the secretary again. It was a different woman than his usual assistant. This woman was meek and bland, when compared to his usual assistant. Nasira could tell that this woman wasn't a Dauntless-born. She didn't possess the fire of confidence in her eyes that a lot of the women had.

"Umm… Yes," hummed Nasira. "I am here to make a software update for Dauntless Leader Coulter's desktop," she lied.

The clerical replacement performed a tight-lipped smile and a cocky "Hmmm". Her naturally-narrowed eyes did a quick perusal of the woman that stood in front of her. She brought her delicate hands in front of her face, where she casually entwined her fingers. "You're… A tech, is that correct?" the woman questioned.

Nasira nodded her head. "Yes, I am…" She lifted up her employee badge to show the woman. She watched the dark sapphire orbs scan the laminated photo. "I work in the Systems Analyst Department."

Her left index finger pointed to Nasira. "Dauntless Leader Coulter didn't say anything about having a tech come to the office and neither did Anissa—

"Miss Donovan," stated Nasira with a twinge of chilliness in her voice.

A mask of confusion crossed the woman's face as she stared at Nasira. "Who?"

A smirk appeared on the technician's face. "The woman, whose desk that you are occupying, is Dauntless Leader Coulter's personal assistant. Both she and our leader are the only two people that would know about my presence." She dropped her badge. "If you don't believe me, then you can call either one of them. I have the time." Nasira shut her mouth and issued a challenging stare.

The woman eyed the phone that was on the desk. It was obvious from the look on her face that she was weighing her options.

Nasira decided to push the cocky and annoying woman. "Listen, I…" She glimpsed at the face of her wrist watch before she stared at the woman again. "…have six other people to visit, including _two_ other leaders. I cannot wait until Dauntless Leader Coulter to return to his office. So…" Her lips pursed and she gave the secretary an expecting glower.

"Oh…" The woman swiveled in her chair to look at the double doors that was behind her. "…kay," she sighed. She turned forward to gaze at Nasira. "Do you…?" Her blue eyes focused on the tall woman that stood in front of her. "…know the key-code to his office door?"

'Yes.' Nasira shook her head. "No, ma'am," she lied.

"Okay." The woman pushed herself away from the desk and withdrew from the rolling chair. She proceeded to unlock Eric's office. She stepped off to the side and allowed the technician to pass. "Please, don't close the door because it will automatically lock on you, if you do" the woman informed Nasira, as she passed through the threshold.

"Alright-y," Nasira hummed as she eyed the faction leader's ominous-looking desk. 'Okay, you asshole, you're not here.' She glanced over her right shoulder, at the small-statured woman. "Thank you." Seconds later, the sounds of the pain-in the-ass, woman's retreating footsteps filled up the office. Once she was confident in knowing that the woman had taken her seat, she moved further into the office. 'Okay, Nassy, you're inside of his office. So, now what?'

Nasira tried to ignore the fragrances of sex, musk and jasmine that were swimming through the office. Every time her brain acknowledged the devious entity, her stomach rumbled and her heart raced. It antagonized her and caused her sense of jealousy to brew. She made her way over to his desk and she gingerly touched at the monitor, as well as, the computer's tower. She damned sure didn't want to touch his chair and the desktop. It was possible that those two spots were the settings for Eric and Anissa's sexual escapades. She knew that they were his favorite locations during that one event. 'Lord, don't you even think about it,' her conscience warned.

She knew that the secretary was eavesdropping. Her fingertips tapped at the hard plastic buttons that were mounted on the keyboard. As her fingers worked, her eyes scanned the office and its contents. She stared at the meager contents that were on his desktop. The sconces on the walls. Her eyes flickered to the surface of his keyboard. She gazed at her fingernails and was given a flash of red, in her peripheral vision. It was by her feet, on the floor.

'Waste basket,' her brain notified her. She turned her full gaze on the black bin that was on the floor. The tip of her left boot gently kicked the plastic bin. The sounds of rattling against the bottom reached her hearing range. She assessed that it was a hard-surfaced item. She stopped typing and she bent at her waist, over the garbage can. Her left hand reached out and grabbed the edge of the can, slightly tipping the bin towards her. She peered at the few items that were inside. There was a family of waddled-up tissues, a metallic chewing gum wrapper, a wrinkled sheet of paper and a condom wrapper that was stuffed with its now-soiled, former occupant. Her face grimaced. 'Eeeewwww,' her brain groaned.

The fact that Eric used condoms when he was with Anissa caused a warmness to settle in her chest. It meant that she was his only partner that he had gone condom-free.

Her fingers gave the edge of the can a subtle shake. A song that consisted of a hard rattling, reached her ears. The location of the noise was in a corner of the bin, which was covered by the tissues. She further investigated. She tipped the bin away from her. 'I'm not going to touch that shit. No way in hell.' Her orbs watched a small, red—colored glass vial roll into her view. 'See? Now I knew that I was bugging out.' She gingerly placed the bottom of the plastic bin to the floor before she reached into the can to grab the vial. Using her index finger and thumb, she plucked up the small container. She glanced at the vial as she stood upright. 'Mmm… What is this?' She strolled away from his desk and traveled over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. She observed the item. 'Okay… what was…' Her right thumb and index finger twisted the black cap off. Her fingers pulled it off and was greeted by the sight of a glass dropper. The type of dropper that was used for eye drops.

'Oh,' her brain whimpered in shock.

"Ah…" she lightly gasped.

* * *

~*oMLo*~

"Okay… Okay… Maybe that is not…" Nasira huffed. She pressed the rim of the warmed, plastic container that belonged to her pocket soup to her lips. She sipped a mouthful of the lukewarm tomato soup into her cavity. The spice-filled, creamy confection would usually calm her nerves. Her eyes scanned her bobbing right knee and came to the conclusion that the soup wasn't working.

'He can't be…' she silently sighed. A litany of assumptions ran through her mind. Her eyes scanned the dimly-lit and empty office space that made up her department. '…It would explain his bizarre behavior as of lately. He has M.I.A. since Luke's—

"Luke," her voice croaked. Her fingers sought after her cell phone, which was in her knapsack. On the screen, there was an alert that she had a text message. Her fingers deftly opened the messaging app. It was a message from Sophie.

 _"_ _X-Rays are done. Awaiting results. About 2 text your mom now."_

Nasira unleashed a sigh of relief as she read the words. 'Please don't be anything serious.' Her eyes drifted down to the phone's screen. The time of 'One twenty-one' greeted her. She realized that she needed to go back to the seminar.

~*oMLo*~

Nasira's eyes were focused on the presenter that stood in front of them, but her attention was truly elsewhere. She was thinking about her son and his drug-using father. Currently, her son was being treated for his injuries in the Dauntless infirmary. Then there was the topic of his father. She recently learned that the man was addicted to Wept, the very drug that she recently learned about.

'…Can't believe this shit,' she said to herself. 'Eric is a got-damned weeper. How-in the-hell did I miss this?'

"—kay, ladies and gentlemen, let me…"

Nasira was pulled from out of her stream of consciousness and focused on the presenter. The plump-sized, tall man stood in front of the large projection screen. He peered out to the sea of Dauntless computer technicians.

"…tell you about the benefits of the Optimum Plus!"

'Oh. Nothing important,' she concluded. Her vision landed on the tape recorder that was on her desk. She peeped the red light on the side of the device. 'Still record—

Her mental conversation was cut off due to a distraction that came in the form of her vibrating cell phone. A nasally-pitched tune poured out of the phone and filtered through the air. The rectangle-shaped screen lit up with an olive green light. "The Bigger Luke" appeared on the screen in black, block letters.

"Someone's phone…"

"Whose phone…"

"Someone's phone is ringing…"

The murmurs continued to sprinkle into the classroom's atmosphere. The seminar's lecturer continued with his lesson plan, without showing a hint of being distracted.

Nasira picked her phone up from the desktop and held it in her hands. The phone's vibrations gently stung at her palms. 'Out of all of the fucking times he could've pick to call me…' She kept the phone nestled in her hands. The phone eventually stopped vibrating. 'He's gonna be pissed about—

The soles of her hands began to violently tingle once again. She lifted the top layer of flesh from off of the phone and she eyed the phone's screen. 'Eric,' her brain sighed, out of irritation. She placed her hand back on the device and she stared at the projection screen. She wanted to badly answer the call. She bit into her bottom lip and lightly stomped her right foot, out in frustration.

The call abruptly ended and granted Nasira's palms some relief. Her hand lifted and she scanned the phone's screen. _'_ _Two Messages. Two Missed Calls'_ were on the screen. 'He's probably pissed.' Four seconds later, her palms were welcomed with two consecutive buzzes. She peeked at her phone again. _'_ _Three Messages. Two Missed Calls'_ was the new alert. She quickly scanned the room for any prying eyes, in particular, for Rafe. She scanned the hardly-lit room until she spotted the lanky man by the only exit. Once she was secured with the notion that he couldn't spot her, she focused on her phone. Her fingertips glided across the smooth glass surface and pressed buttons in order to open up the messaging application.

 _"_ _where the fuck r u?"_

It was Eric's first text message. Even though she was staring at digitized letters, she felt his hostility.

 _"_ _going 2 hospital."_

It was his following text message.

Her fingers activated the keyboard for the phone. Her nimble fingertips managed to type up a succinct message. _"_ _I cannot speak rite night now. In a meeting. I will get in trouble with my boss. Luke is at the clinic. He is being treated for a bump on the head and a cut on his lips. He tripped. He's fine. He is w/ Sophie."_ Nasira sent the text message to Eric's phone.

A few seconds later, she was alerted about a new text message. It was another message from the faction leader. _"_ _where r u?"_

She activated the phone's keyboard. Seconds later, there was another text message. _"_ _In a seminar. Training Facility. Will be here until 4PM."_ She sent out the response.

Fifteen seconds later, there was a response. _"_ _leave."_

Her eyes bulged slightly. She softly chuckled at his audacious nature. 'You have a lot of fucking nerve, Eric.' Her fingertips proceeded to type. _"_ _I can't. My boss will have my ass, if I do leave here. So unless you are willing to come all the way here and get me, then I am stuck here. Text me when—_

Pressure captured her left shoulder and it formed a firm grip. The action alarmed Nasira. She managed to lose her grip on her phone.

"Grant…" It was Rafe, her supervisor.

'Oh, _ssshhhhh-it!_ '

"…go outside and handle your business," he ordered in an unusual soft tone. He released her shoulder and soon walked away. Her eyes focused on his lanky frame as he retreated.

* * *

~*oMLo*~

He allowed his line to ring four times before he picked up. " _Where are you, now_?" he greeted her with. His tone was terse.

"I'm still in The Training Facility," she informed him.

"Why I am not on Luke's 'U.I.C.O.E.' list?!" he practically growled into her earpiece.

'Shit-shit-shit-shit…'

"They won't fucking tell me anything because I am _not on it_! They won't even tell me where he is at right now!"

"Eric, he is getting a CAT scan right now—

"A CAT—

"He bumped his head, so he received an X-Ray. He's probably in the radiology department right now with Sophie," she informed the irate faction leader.

"My son doesn't even have my fucking last name!" he growled into the phone. She sensed that he was barely keeping his usual stoic, public persona intact.

"Eric, he's in radio—

"We're going," he huffed. "We're going to the Bureau of Records. We're going. We're going…"

Nasira found his act of repetition to be odd. He was rambling. She nodded her head. "Okay, we'll go later on this week—

"No, we're going today—

'Are you serious?' her conscience groaned. "Eric, we can't go to Erud—

"We're going! We're going! We're going! We're going! We're going! We're going! WE'RE GOING!"

Eric's unexpected outburst caused Nasira to flinch, out of fright and shock. She pulled her phone away from her ear and she stared at the device with disbelief marking her face. 'What-the-fuck?!' She rapidly concluded that he was still high off of the dosage of Wept. She reluctantly placed her phone back to her ear. "Eric… Eric, you need to calm down and—

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TELL ME TO CALM-THE-FUCK DOWN!" he grunted. His rage was oozing out of the phone.

She was instantly reminded of the time when she was in the public parking garage, after her trip to the Club Inferno. She recalled the occurrence of a frazzled and angry Eric. Then she imagined a scenario of the same angry, frazzled Dauntless as he briskly walked in a clinic's hallway.

"THEY WON'T LET ME…" There was a coarse-sounding huff from him. "They won't let me… See him!"

His angry yet passionate tone yanked her out of her reflections.

"They won't tell me anything! They…" He stammered. "They… I don't know how sick he is—I need you! I need you to come here, _right now!_ I need you to take me to him! Come here! Come here right now! Come…"

'He tweaking,' her logic reminded her. Her conscience warned her with, 'Be patient with him'.

"… ** _NOW!_** " he roared into his phone.

His scream caused her adrenaline to spike and her heart to race. She closed her eyes and listened to her rushing breath. His behavior was frightening her. She was sure that he was scaring any of the clinic's staff that was near him.

"Eric," she softly said, after a moment. She licked her bottom lip. She performed a series of slow breathing, in hope of calming down. "I cannot leave work now. I—

"Leave! Take me to my son!" A series of shaky breaths spilled from his end of the line. "He's hurt," he said softly, in a sorrow-filled whimper.

The vulnerability in his tone caused everything to feel as if it had stopped. The time appeared to have pause. Her racing heart felt like it stopped beating. Her lungs felt like it had turned to stone while occupying her chest. A lump managed to lodge itself inside of her throat. A heavy buzzing wedged itself in her ear canals while there were waves of slight light-headedness. "Eric… Baby, I can't leave from work. I have important—

 **"** **GRRRRRR-RRRRAAAANNNNTTTTT!"**

The following word died on Nasira's lips as she heard Rafe call her name. She looked away from the thirty five-foot tall sculpture and she stared at the front of the Training Facility. She immediately spotted her supervisor. He stood a few feet away from the doors. She also spotted the familiar black, leather knapsack in his left hand.

'My…Bag. Why does he have it?'

She returned her attention to her cell phone and to the caller. "Eric, I need to call you back," she simply stated.

" **WHAT?!"** Eric shouted into the phone. **"** **I-**

Nasira disconnected the call. She gruffly shoved her phone in her jeans' pocket before she strolled over to Rafe. 'I know that I shouldn't have done that, but Eric will just deal with it.' As soon as she was in close proximity, she greeted her boss with a "Yes, Sir?"

Rafe extended his left hand in front of him, as her backpack dangled off of his fingers. "Go and be with your son," the supervisor announced.

'What?!' Her fine features contorted to an expression of disbelief. "What…? I-I-I-I-I-I can't. It's—

"It's fine," Rafe confirmed. "Go on…" His head performed a nod. "…and take care of your son."

Nasira gently shook her head. "What about the symposium? I thought that it was mandatory for us to attend."

"It is important, which is why I am holding onto your recorder. You will get it back tomorrow," he reported.

Her relief made her stomach tremble with gratitude. "Thank-Thank you, Rafe," she breathed. She grabbed her book bag.

"You're welcome," he stated with another head nod. "Now, go. The last thing that I need is for him…"

' _Him?!_ Who's Him?' The crease in her brow deepened. "Who are you referring to, Sir?"

"Eric," he simply answered. "He has been calling me an—In fact…" Rafe's left hand reached for his back pocket of his pants. A second later, he produced a vibrating cell phone in his hand. He held the phone in front of him with the glass screen facing her. "…he is calling me…" He drew the phone closer to her face, so she could read the screen. "…right now."

Her dark brown eyes glimpsed at the phone's screen. Her mind read the name off of the caller ID and she fell into a pool of shock. It was more like she tripped, stumbled and then fell into a pool of shock, head-first.

Rafe didn't regard her current reaction. He proceeded to answer the phone call. "What, Eric?" he groaned into the phone. He listened for a few seconds. "Yes, Eric, I did tell her to go…She is on— ** _Watch_** …"

Nasira flinched just as her ears picked up the intimidating supervisor's growl.

 ** _"…_** ** _who you are talking to like that, you little shit! I don't give a shit who you are to those piss-fucks that you order around! I am your fucking brother, you asshole…"_**

Even though she already knew, due in large part to his phone's caller ID device, it still felt surprising to hear Rafe's reference to his familial bond with the Dauntless leader.

 ** _"…_** ** _Now, I've told you that she is out of class and she is on her way."_** Rafe stopped speaking and began to listen. His hazel eyes made a soul-gazing glare at his nephew's mother. In his normal twang, he said "Like I said…" He looked away. "…before…" He stepped away. "…She is at work and this is mandatory. You…" He turned towards her. He covered the phone's mouthpiece with his free hand. "Go on," he instructed with a soft tone.

His gentle demand caused her feet to move. She numbly followed his command. It wasn't until she was sitting in the driver's seat of her jeep, when the shock had worn off.

* * *

~*oMLo*~

We're going down to the Bureau of Records tomorrow!" declared Eric, for the eighteenth time within the last two hours.

Nasira rolled her eyes and curled her top lip to form a snarl. Ever since they managed to meet up, close to two hours ago, he occasionally made the demand. When he wasn't demanding for the trips to the federal building in Erudite, he was behaving like a verbally abusive asshole. Putrid insults and sarcastic barbs fell from between his lips and landed on her like it was spittle. For Nasira, it did feel like he was physically spitting on her.

"Don't you dare," he groaned at her. His deep set blue eyes glared at her. "Don't you dare give me an attitude problem, when you're the one that's in the wrong."

Her anger soared to a higher level. Her face created a deeper snarl and her teeth to clench. A husky growl burned her throat. She turned away from the stack of raw fish fillets and she walked over to the sink.

"Don't you turn your back on me," he growled.

Nasira chose to ignore his warning. She proceeded with her dinner plans. Her hands produced pans, spices and other ingredients from the different cupboards.

"Mama," she heard their son say. His voice was slightly slurred. It was due to the swelling that covered his lips. An image of her son's bruised face flashed in her mind. It caused her face to flush with shame.

"Your son is calling for you," she heard Eric say.

She heard the taunting in his voice. She huffed as she coated the skillet's base with virgin olive oil. 'Fucking, dope fiend is getting on my last nerve!' She placed the bottle on the counter and then she glanced at their son from over her left shoulder. In her peripheral view, she saw Lucien as he sat on his father's lap, while the leader sat at the counter. She smiled at her son. "Hi, my big boy!" she cheerfully stated.

Lucien chuckles became shrieks of pain within a split second. She immediately spun around and observed the scene. Her heart began to pound and her eyes widened in shock as she eyed their son. The little boy's cherubic face was spoiled with a deep redness and his face held a grimace. Tears started to spill from his eyes. His chubby hands covered his mouth.

"Got-damn it, Nasira!" shouted Eric. He hopped off of his seat and he placed the now-crying toddler onto the countertop. He stared at the boy's face. "Come on, Luke. Show me. Show me your mouth, son" he said gently to their son. His sapphire eyes focused on her. "You fucking idiot! You know that he has stitches in his lips! You know that he can't fucking smile too much without…" He didn't finish his statement. He glanced at their son. "Alright, just…"

Nasira felt rooted in her spot, in the kitchen. His words caused her body to run cold and numb. The faction leader never spoken to her in such a manner.

"…He didn't tear out any stitches, which is good. Nasira, get me one of those ice packs that you have in the freezer… Nasira…Nasira… Nasira!"

His third call snapped her out of her self-imposed trance. The mother eyed her son's father, who was glowering at her.

"Nasira. Give. Me. An. Icepack. Now," growled Eric.

Her feet trekked over to the refrigerator and she opened the freezer's door to produce a plastic ice pack from out of the iced cavern. She made her way over to the father and son. She held the icepack out in front of her. "Here—

Eric snatched the item from out of her hand. He gave her a parting glance and his lips frowned in disgust. He subtly shook his head. The harsh expression quickly faded as soon as his eyes landed on their son. His eyes focused on their son's whimpering face. "Come on, let me see it" he murmured as his right hand gently pulled at Lucien's left hand. His azure eyes focused on Nasira again. "Go," he crudely demanded.

Wordlessly, she walked away and entered the kitchen. She traveled to the stove's location. She proceeded to cook. As she prepared dinner, she had to listen to Eric's soft insults and acidic barbs. She felt his anger, his arrogance and smarminess. It caused her anger to simmer. Then it began to come to boil. 'No. Don't, Nassy… Don't give into his bullshit.' She briefly closed her eyes and slowly exhaled, an attempt to soothe her beast. She opened her eyes and said, "Eric?" She pulled away from the stove and she turned to the island counter. She noticed that he was back in his seat, the stool that was standing on the other side of the counter. Lucien returned to his spot on his father's lap. The ice pack was pressed to the toddler's bruised lips. The faction leader's eyes passed off a steely gaze, which was directed towards her. "Luke has been stuck inside all day, whether if it was in here or at the clinic—

"And whose fault is that one, mmm?" he groaned.

'OH. MY. GOD!' She screamed inside of her head. She briefly closed her eyes. She roughly exhaled through her nose. "Eric, can you please just…? Can you please just take Luke out, for a walk? Just take him out, please," she asked of him. 'Before I say something that I will regret later.' She needed for the Dauntless leader to give her some space. Plus, she knew that Lucien loved to go out for walks. She believed that she had to make it up to the toddler, after he experienced this his bad day.

She witnessed Eric peer down at the crown on their son's head. "Luke?"

The now-whimpering boy tilted his head backwards and stared at his father. "Dada?" he mewled as his fingers reached towards Eric's chin.

"Do you want to go outside?" the father asked the toddler. The man received a stream of babbling as a response. His lips found their way to his son's forehead, where they planted a soft kiss, near the knot of bruised flesh.

The toddler used his left index finger to point to his left temple. "Boo-boo?" he told his father.

Eric nodded his head as he stared at their son's eyes. "Yeah," he answered in an apologetic tone.

Nasira couldn't watch anymore. She was sure that she would've broken out in tears and her anger would've diminished into sympathy. She was angry at him and she wanted to stay that way. At least, stay angry at him for a little while.

Eric eventually did take her suggestion of spending time with Lucien, outside of the apartment. He packed their son's diaper bag without saying another word to Nasira. He also left without uttering a word or a farewell. As soon as she heard the front door click shut, she unleashed a rage-filled, booming growl into the air. Then she proceeded to angrily mutter under her breath, about Eric and his behavior.

With her lips and tongue still lowly cursing and besmirching Eric's whole existence, Nasira did managed to cook dinner for all three of them. Her energized fingers managed to find occupation in the task of arranging the island countertop with plates and eating utensils. Her eyes did brief glimpses at the door. With each look, she silently wished for both Eric's to return. Once she finished fixing the table, she stared idly into the living room. She didn't know what to do. She contemplated if she should eat dinner by herself or wait for Eric and Lucien to return.

"You got it?"

Her head did a quick turn to the left, in the direction of the door. The statement was drenched in familiarity and it came from the other side of the front door. Her feet led the rest of her body to the front door. Her hearing picked up the sounds of their son's cheerful babbling. Her left hand quickly grabbed the door's lever and then proceeded to open it. She was greeted by the sight of the tall and intimidating leader. She noticed the smirk on his lips and tiny bit of jovial energy in his eyes. 'What is—

"Mama! Mama!"

Her eyes panned down Eric's large frame and she spotted the large bouquet of colorful roses that possessed a pair of toddler legs.

Her anger quickly died a silent death as she eyed the beautiful flowers. Her anger was switched with a sense of pleasant surprise. "Aaa…Ohhh!" she squealed with delight. She slipped into a squatting pose, in front of Lucien. "Are these for me?" she asked with happiness soaked in her tone.

"Mama!" Lucien announced again as he held onto the bouquet, which covered him. "Flah…Were," he recited.

Nasira giggled. Her hands made a grab for the bouquet. Lucien released his hold on the flowers and then clapped his hands. She took a quick whiff of the sweet-smelling roses before she eyed their son. "Thank you, baby!" she chuckled. She listened to his husky giggles. "Can I get a hug, my big boy?" A second later, her arms were wrapped around the toddler. Her lips kissed his right temple before she buried her face into his neck. She deeply inhaled the scents of chocolate and pine from off of his clothes. Her arms gave him a tight squeeze. She continued to hold onto him, relishing the moment.

Lucien felt that she was holding onto him for far too long. His hands began to push at her shoulders. Sounds of discomfort escaped from his tiny body. "Mama… Nah-ooooh!" he declared as he began to push harder.

Nasira's face frowned up. She allowed the boy to have his private space again. She glanced at Lucien. "You had enough with the hugs, huh?" She witnessed her son nod his head for a few times. She erupted into a series of giggles.

* * *

~*oMLo*~

With the soundtrack of Lucien's giggling and the sounds of splashing bath water, as well as, the occasional muttering from the Dauntless leader, Nasira cleaned up the living room and the kitchen. Dinner ended over thirty minutes ago. Afterwards, both parents fell into their familiar routines. For Eric, he carried their son to his bedroom so he could prepare the toddler his bath. For Nasira, she cleaned the messes that managed to accumulate in the apartment, over the course of the day. For tonight, her list of chores was short: a few toys that littered the living room's floor and the mess that was in the kitchen. It was during the task of sweeping, when she was reminded of the nefarious item that was stored in her jean's hip pocket. She had taken the used vial of Wept before she left his office. She took it because she planned on having a discussion with Eric about his drug usage. Or, a conversation in which he could declare his "innocence".

As she swept the wooden floorboards in the kitchen, she was reminded of the severity of Eric's situation. Thanks to the moments that occurred after she arrived to the clinic, she stopped thinking about the faction leader and the topic of his drug use. She didn't have any doubts, when it came to her judgement. She knew that Eric wouldn't allow anybody use his office, when he wasn't present. So, the Wept vial couldn't be anybody else's. She also knew that the Dauntless leader wouldn't use drugs in his office, if he was expecting guests. So, he wouldn't carelessly dump it in his office's garbage can. He would cover his tracks. He would've taken his glass vial and kept it in his possession until he could properly discard it. The last thing he would want to happen was for a janitor to find it, as they cleaned his office.

It was still on her mind as she moved to the kitchen's sink and washed the contents that were stored inside. '…I still cannot fucking believe this…' she said to herself as she eyed the sudsy contents in her sink. '…He is an addict… _Eric_ , of all people! How?! I wonder…How long as he been doing this? It's possible that he has been doing this stuff _for years_!' Her hands rinsed the soap off of the last dish and stored the item into the dish rack. '…I gotta read up about this stuff…' She stepped away from the sink and walked over to the island counter. She glanced at the stack of plastic food storage bins. She grabbed the pile and traveled over to the refrigerator. '…Okay, so how am I going to do this? I can't be confrontational with him. All that going to make him do—

"Alright…" Eric's voice bellowed.

"Mama-Mama-Mama-Mama-Mama-Mama…" sang Lucien.

"…the boy is clean," announced Eric.

Nasira quickly stood in her upright position and she eyed the pair from over her right shoulder. Eric entered the living room with a naked Lucien being carried in his arms. The toddler held a colorful towel in his left fist and he twirled the item in the air. Both father and son were in jovial moods. She watched the faction leader approach the counter.

"The Kid, _here_ …" Eric glimpsed at Lucien and then he returned his blue-eyed stare to Nasira. "…doesn't want to put on any clothes."

A smile touched Nasira's lips. She stepped away from the fridge and closed the door with her right hip. She strolled up to the counter. "You don't wanna put your clothes on, my big boy, huh?" she told her son.

"Nah-ooooohhhhhh!" the toddler enthusiastically shouted. Both the mother and son laughed.

"Ya gotta put your clothes on, baby" she reasoned.

"Nah-oooooohhhhh!" chuckled Lucien.

Nasira nodded her head. "Yyyyyyyyeeeeeaaaaahhhh!" she sang.

"Nah-ooooohhhh!" he giggled.

"Just go put your diaper on, chunky butt!" she giggled.

Lucien chuckled.

Eric gazed at their son. "Alright Luke, say 'good night' to your mother," he instructed the toddler.

The boy glanced at his father and then at his mother. Lucien waved his right hand towards his mother.

"Noooo…" giggled Nasira. She watched the baby chuckle. "…Say 'night-night' to me, Lukie" she instructed. "Say 'night-night' to me like you did with your Gee-Gee, last night."

Lucien tucked his left hand underneath his pointed chin. The corners of his lips curved to form a limited smile. "Nigh-nigh," he cheerfully stated. "Nigh-nigh! Nigh-nigh!"

A strong and delightful flutter erupted in the mother's stomach as she listened to her son say 'good night' to her. With a smile, she responded with a "Night-night, baby".

"Alright big boy," announced Eric before giving the boy a kiss on his cheek. "Let's put you to bed."

"Nigh-Nigh!" Lucien said once more.

"Night-night, Lukie!" she said to him.

Nasira proceeded to watch the father and son leave the living room before entering the hallway. Once she was alone, she decided to return to cleaning. Before she began, she entered her living room to power up her stereo system. The living room and the kitchen's walls were bathed with low-volume music. The young mother even sang along with the music the livened up the environment. It wasn't until she felt a sturdy presence behind her as she stood in front of the counter island, when she realized that she had an audience. She was in the process of visually adoring the bouquet of pink, yellow and lavender roses, when a pair of hands grabbed onto her. Her eyes peered at her stomach and noticed his hand lightly holding the small pouch of fat that was on her belly. She glanced over her right shoulder, at the obscured shape that was standing behind her.

"Thank you for the flowers," she told him.

His hands drew her smaller frame closer to him. His face dipped slightly lower and closer to her face. After a breath, he queried "Do you like them?"

Eric's inquiry surprised Nasira. The Dauntless leader didn't appear to be the type of person that needed approval for this action. The fact that he wanted to know about her opinion, which meant that he valued it. He _valued_ her approval. It caused a quiver to erupt and her cheeks to blush.

"No… I _love_ them," she corrected him. A few seconds later, she felt his warm and soft lips on her right temple. Her smile deepened just as her body grew warmer.

A wave of silence had passed between them before he breathed, "I'm… Sorry". There was an audible swallow and then a soft exhalation. "I'm sorry about snapping at you today. I shouldn't have said those things to you. I shouldn't—You deserve to be treated better. I'm…I'm sorry for everything."

The buzzing entered her cheeks. She was pleased with his act of apologizing.

"I'm… I feel tired—No…Just not feel—I'm…" There was a rough-sounding exhale. He was making an attempt at describing his feelings. It was difficult for him. The task, alone, was ripping and shredding away the layers of the Erudite-cultivated, polished manners that were forced onto him during the first sixteen years of his life. His fine lips produced stammering words while his sharp breathing tried to cut away his awkwardness.

Nasira was sure of this.

"…I'm just dealing with the initiation and the initiates," he confessed.

"Are you feeling stressed?" she asked him, feeling concerned.

"Nn—

He had fallen quiet, abruptly.

'Weakness. He considers it to be a weakness. He ain't gonna say anything.' She eyed his tattooed forearms. Her fingertips began to caress the inked-up flesh that was on his right arm. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

There was a deep sigh. "Nothing important."

Nasira snorted and smirked, "If it wasn't important, then you wouldn't be feeling snappy about it, darling."

There was a sharp inhale from him. "Hmmph," he grunted. "You gotta point there," he confessed.

She removed his hand from her stomach, so she could turn around in his arms. Her fingers sought after his jeans' belt loops. She drew her body closer to his just as her fingers hook around the loops. She was subjected to his arms' strength, when they embraced her. His body's secreted heat gave her a sense of security. She glanced at his eyes. "You might as well tell me what happened," she told him.

His beautiful lips pursed and his azure orbs slowly filled with resignation. He exhaled. "It's the initiates…" His eyes focused on the refrigerator. "…This year, we received forty-seven initiates. Out of those forty-seven, only thirty-two of them made it to the roof for the jump. Then—

"Pardon the interruption, Eric," she told him. "But how is that a problem _for you_?"

"Because it is a reflection of how effective I am as a leader, that's why."

Her throat unleashed a groan. "That's stupid. At that point of the initiation, they are not in your control."

"True, but I still have a responsibility over them," he informed her.

"It still sucks though." Her forehead was given a kiss. The buzzing in her cheeks returned.

"But it is a part of my job," he affirmed with his lips a few centimeters away from her forehead.

She rested her head on his chest. She stared at the sink. "So, what else happened?" Her ear was flooded with a rumbling that occurred in his chest as he inhaled.

"Remember the little shit-head that I told you about? The one, from a month ago?" he told her.

'Oh yeah,' she secretly stated. She nodded her head. "Mmm-hmm," she moaned. "He is still giving you a hard time?"

"A _hard time_ is one way of putting it. I prefer to say that he is tempting me to toss his ass into the chasm," groaned the faction leader.

Nasira clucked her teeth. "What is he doing now?"

There was another sharp inhalation. His hands proceeded to caress her back. "He's… _Undermining_ my authority and he's encouraging the other initiates to do the same."

'Oh damn,' she quietly cursed. Her skin tingled and then chilled, courtesy of the mild case of dread. Nasira knew that an effective leader was considered to be a respected leader in Dauntless. For the Dauntless leaders, the act of respectfulness consisted of one trait: obedience. Obedience from the trainers. Obedience from every staff member that worked in all of the buildings, from the higher-ups to the janitorial staff. Obedience from every one of the faction's citizens. A sign of being an effective faction leader was the act of obedience from every one of his underlings, especially from the initiates.

"Now I am starting to get lip from them. And it's—

"Pissing you-the fuck-off," she said to him, filling in the rest of his statement.

A masculine groan served as a sign of affirmation. His arms tightened their hold on her. "You have no idea," he grimly stated.

Nasira pressed her face into his hard chest in an affectionate manner. She nuzzled and inhaled the scents from off of his thin cotton shirt. As she smelled the faint acidic scent of his sweat and the refined fragrance of his cologne, she tried to come up with possible solutions for him. His current state was making her feel uneasy. He was stressed. He didn't have to tell her. She felt it as she held onto him. He was rigid like a statue.

'Maybe this is why he—Work them…'

In her mind, she heard their heavy panting and strained breathing. She heard the repetitive and almost-melodic sounds of hard rubber soles slapping against concrete. There were tendrils of sounds that came from forgotten babies and neglected pets. The sounds of paranoia-inspired whispers which penetrated the dismal atmosphere of the factionless land. There were the putrid scents of decomposing garbage and of human fecal waste. They were hit with solemn reminders of the world's 'glory days' that came in the form of cold, sea-smelling air that used to come from an ocean that was no longer there. There was the over-abundant odor of sweat and musk being secreted from slicked skins as they ran. They ran for their spots in the rankings. They ran to receive a spot in Dauntless, to become a citizen. The initiates ran for their lives.

'…Show them how. Factionless…'

Frightened eyes' lines of sight bounced off of various structures. The crumbling buildings, the lasting reminders of the Great War. They were bathed in sheets of flickering orange lights, which were provided from cans of burning trash. Their sights tried to decipher the true shapes to the obscured figures that were hiding in the alleyways and underneath the veils of shadow.

'Show them that Dauntless is not a playground.'

The scent of human perspiration danced along with the odors of blood and diluted-ammonia. The sounds of bared skin being violently and brutally slapped against a sparring mat. The sickening sounds of fists slamming against flesh-covered muscles and tendons, bounced off of the training room's cinder block-lined up walls. Bystanders' eyes were widened, exposing the owners' souls and displaying their astonishment, as well as, their fear.

The ideas came to her in a sharp growl. Almost feral-like. The mental, imagined scenarios were vivid and bright.

She removed her face from his chest and she peered up at his chin. Then her eyes focused on his deep-set, blue eyes. "Work them," she told the leader. She watched the state of confusion pollute his orbs and the rest of his face. She clarified her comment. "Your initiates. Wake them up in the middle of the night. Don't say anything to them, except to give them orders. Make sure you and the rest of the trainers are a united front. Make sure none of them give you any back-talk during this time or question you about your actions. They need to also display their obedience and loyalty towards you, in front of the class. As for the initiates, take them out for a run. Take them—

"I've done that already with them," Eric pointed out, making his frustrations evident.

"I know. I know," she said to him in a soothing manner. Her hands began to create calm-inducing caresses across the broad back. "I meant, run them through the factionless areas. Show them scariest parts that you know about. I would suggest for you to take them to the Northeast sector, but that's over-doing it. But anyway…" She sighed. "Show them the factionless parts. Make them understand why they are there. Take them back to the training rooms. Have the disruptive asshole fight a trainer. I mean, a _real_ fight. Show those kids just how inept they are and just how inept that idiot is, too. Afterwards, explain to them about Dauntless' purpose. Make them understand just how important it is for them to get that through their thick skulls."

Her heart rate was pacing at a furious level by the time she was done. She felt a level of aggressive that astound her. She felt like she had to defend Dauntless. Not the city, but Dauntless.

She peered into Eric's eyes and searched for validation. She detected the steeliness in the orbs. Her eyes detected movement in his jaw. "So what do you think of my suggestions?" she asked, sounding eager.

There wasn't an immediate reaction from the faction leader. He kept his focus on the beauty that was wrapped up in his arms, but his eyes held a hazy glare. Then, after a multi-second period of silence, he replied. "Mmm," he groaned as his lips pursed.

"Is that a good 'Mmm' or a bad one?" she inquired.

His face drew closer to hers. "It's just a 'Mmm'. Nothing more or…" He didn't finish his statement. His lips found another interest, courtesy of her lips.

"Mmmm…" she heavily moaned as he continued to kiss Eric. Her fingertips snagged up the back of his tank top and held tightly. Pleasure nipped at her body while a need for him flooded her soul. 'It's been a lonely and hard-up month,' her brain uttered. 'Also, the damned vibrator broke anyway.' Hands made an invisible trail down the curvy slope of her back and ended up on her round, denim-covered globes. His fingers squeezed at the mounds of flesh. She moaned against his plush lips as a reaction. "Make…" She whimpered. "Make love to me," she asked of him. Her eyes performed a shy gaze at him.

Eric's brow was creased. His eyes still held an expression of seriousness, which made a niggling amount of doubt to form in her. His lips parted for a second before he spoke. "Are you sure?"

Nasira heard the eagerness and the mild surprise in his voice. It caused her level of excitement to raise, as well as, her heart rate. She had taken a deep breath. "I am," she softly spoke.

His lips reunited with hers in a set of rushed kisses. The palm of his right hand met with the back of her head and forced her mouth to delve deeper. A whispery moan floated from their joined mouths as they continued to kiss. Each other's hands found their ways to each other's clothes. Fingertips expertly pulled at fastenings and unsnapping various buttons. When the last layer of cloth was removed, Nasira found herself being carried in his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms were loosely wrapped around his neck. With his hands gripping her thighs, he carried her from out of the kitchen to the living room. He placed her onto the chaise lounge section of her leather sectional.

"He—

Before she could make her inquiry, she found herself on her stomach. The hot and callused hands removed themselves from her thighs and trailed up to her hips. He grasped tightly and then forced her into the "all fours" pose. She quickly turned her head and glanced over her left shoulder at him. She viewed the nude Dauntless leader as he slipped into position behind her. She felt his hand leave her right hip and then felt his glans push pass her inflamed lips, a mere second later. A subtle arch formed in her back and a jolt tapped at her body. "Aaah," she lightly moaned. A louder and deeper moan fell from her, when his prick surged further into her warmth. Out of reflex, her cunt's walls grasped and released his sheathed member.

"Aaaa…Uh-mmm," she heard Eric grunt just as his hands gripped her hips tightly. There was a low and steady humming, coming from his body. His hand returned to its rightful place that was her right hip.

"Eric," she moaned. Nasira's cunt greedily grabbed at his intruding prick, goading the Dauntless leader to move. "Eric, come on."

With another grunt pouring from his throat, his hips pulled away from her plump ass, only to surge forward one second later. His hips made a few more hard snaps, making his cock unleashed a steady stream of pleasure inside of her. For his strong and deep strokes, his member impaled her warmth, bringing his glans to the hilt of her pocket. "Is that what you want?" he groaned as his groin rubbed against her nectar-slicked sex.

A strong, breathy and shrilled gasp was her response. A soft grimace crossed her face while her eyes shut and her jaw hung open. The right set of her fingers clutched at the leather from her couch's cushion. "Eric… Er—

"Nnnnnngggrrr," he groaned before subjecting his prick to another hard stroke.

A hard shudder escaped her heated body, as well as, a soft moan. A set of thick fingers found their way to the back of her head and they crawled to the sensitive location that was her throat. They cupped her neck and squeezed. He was letting her know that he wasn't going to be gentle. Tonight wasn't the night for a tender reunion, where eyes would meet and hands were going to be held. This was going to be a seedy rutting. In response, her right hand grasped his right wrist and held on. This was her way of letting him know that she desired his desires. His hand forced her into a kneeling position. The skin on her back brushed up against his hair-covered chest. His hands left her hips and snatched her biceps. He pulled at them, forcing her arms to slip behind her, where he bound them together with his thick left arm. With her arms and hands positioned behind her, her torso was posed in an odd angle. There was a deep curve in her back, her bust was poised and her head was draped backwards. A knee firmly pried her knees further apart, making her balance in this position feel more comfortable. It also made his hardness sink deeper into her gash.

"Aah-ugh," she sweetly gasped, as she shivered.

It was in this position, where Eric unleashed unrelenting passion on her. His unoccupied palm and fingers kept finding temporary homes in her hair, her throat, her tits or her clit. His arm kept her restrained as his cock pounded away with steady, hard thrusts. Her jaw chattered and her body shook with every impact of their bodies' union. The living room's atmosphere was filled with the abrasive sounds of their slapping bodies and their sounds of pleasure. With every arousal-igniting stroke, her mouth uttered a controlled moan. Even under pleasurable conditions, she was mindful about not waking their son from his slumber, in the nursery.

"You're holding back on me," Eric groaned, his voice was coarse and thick with arousal.

"Oh," she softly gasped. "I can't," she moaned. "I can't… Baby, I can't."

"Come on, baby…" he lightly chuckled. "…Come on and scream for me," he urged.

"No…No…" she whimpered. "I can't… The-The baby," she explained.

She heard a firm growl escaped from him. She felt his hand release her hip and then grasp onto her right breast in a crushing hold. Pain seeped into her consciousness. Her lips parted. "Aaaa-ow!" she yelped. She attempted to glance at her son's father, from over her right shoulder. She tried tossing the man a look of half-assed scorn.

"That's the kind of noise that I wanted," he groaned, teasing her. His hips and cock's movements were steady and consistent throughout his playful banter. He drew her body closer to his chest. His face slipped itself into the curve of her neck, where his lips and teeth tantalized her skin. His tongue licked a trail to her right earlobe. "Give me what I want," he whispered into her ear. "I know you…" Fingers caressed her stomach as they descended down her torso. "…I know what you like…" The tips of his fingers stroked at her plump lips.

"aaaa-Ugh!" she moaned as her body jerked.

"…I know what…" There was a hiss and then a grunt. "Come on and make some noise for me." His fingertips buffed her hardened knot at a furious pace. "Do I have to throw you in your favorite position? Mmm?" he teased.

'Oh Gah-awd, yes! Yes-yes-yes-yes… Yes!'

"You wanna go into your favorite position? Hmm?" he teased her. "You would—

"Yes!" she moaned. "Yes-yes-yes-yes…Yee-yeaah!"

Suddenly, there was a face-plant into the spacious cushion that she was just hovering. There was roaming pressure erupting in her lower belly, just as her palms pressed against the smooth leather that her face was resting on. The world suddenly spun and her sight landed on the vaulted ceiling. Then it was filled with Eric's handsome face. His eyes held mischief along with that luster and alertness that came with his lust. His fine lips held a tiny bit of a smile.

"You ready to start screaming?" Eric teased as his hands roughly gripped onto her thighs. He leaned back and draped them over his broad shoulders. He sheathed himself in one smooth stroke.

A shrilled gasp fell from her lips as she was filled with pressurized pleasure. Her hands sought refuge in her mussed-up, thick coils. Her legs tensed up as her body burned with the pleasure that he was giving her. The backs of her thighs soon felt his body's weight as he leaned forward. He drew his lips onto hers just as his prick sank deeper into her womb. Her throat unleashed moans, which were reactions from both of his ministrations.

"You ready for me?" he whispered against her lips.

"Y-Yeah," she moaned. Her hands held onto each of his wrists. "Yeah."

Eric's groin performed several slow drags against her swollen sex before he withdrew his prick and then sheathed himself again, in the form of a hard stroke. Once she moaned, he murmured "That's it, baby. That's it" to her lips. His hips performed another thrust, which was followed by a slow grind. Nails found their way into his wrists' skin. His clenched jaw emitted a drawn-out hiss. In retaliation, his hardness found its way back into her warmth.

"Oh, Eric!" she moaned. Nasira heard his throat groan with approval. The faction leader's hips and cock fell into a steady rhythm. His prick repetitively struck every part of her, leaving her with a shuddering body and a litany of loud pants and moans. The joints in her knees were strained from his weight, but she didn't utter a sign of discomfort. Eric felt too good. His heavy prick felt so good inside of her. "Eric…" she whimpered. "Eric… Eric… Eric…"

"Yeah, baby" his grunted. "Yeah, baby. That's it."

The pressure in her lower belly began to tighten. Her cunt began to spasm against his thickness. A fog started to seep into her mind as well as clog up her ears. "Aaaaaa..." The volume in her moans increased, which spurned his desire. "ERR-ERR—

"MAMA!"

'Lou… Lou…' The sexual fog that clouded up her mind began to dispel. '…Lou…Lou… It's Lucien. Lucien...' Her purpose as a mother was beginning to etch itself into her psyche. 'Lucien… Fuck!' Her son was awake and she became aware that she was the cause of it. 'Fucking Eric.'

A second later, there was another "MAMA!" and it came from the short hallway.

Eric came to a standstill. His sweat-slicked forehead rested against hers. "FFFFF…Uck!" she heard her partner groaned in disappointment.

"MAMA!" the toddler called out.

'I gotta… Go. Fuc—'

Eric huffed with impatience. He released an animal-like growl. "Fuc—

"I gotta go see what he wants…" she said in a breathy sigh. Her right hand tapped at his left shoulder. "…Get up." She heard a groan escape him. "Come on Eric, get up."

With a heaving breath, the Dauntless leader ejected his member from out of her warmth and he pulled away. She practically leapt from off of the chaise lounge and onto her feet. The muscles in her legs, as well as, the one that was in between her thighs trembled from exertion.

"MAMA-MAMA-MAMA-MAMA-MAMA-MAMA…" Lucien began chanting in a sing-song inflection.

'Now, I'm starting to think that he woke up on purpose,' she silently concluded as she strolled over to the pile of discarded clothes that were on the kitchen's floor.

"Now, I'm starting to think that he woke up on purpose," Eric muttered before handing out a wry chuckle.

Nasira glanced at the naked, faction leader and then she giggled. She made it over to the pile and plucked up the first viable item that her fingers came across. Her nostrils were struck by the fragrance of cut wood and metal. She eyed the item. She held Eric's tank top in her hand. 'Mmm, just my luck. But it'll do.' She slipped the A-line shirt on and covered her body. She glimpsed at Eric again. "I'll be back," she announced.

Eric's blue eyes landed on her. "I hope so. We ain't finish yet. Not by a long shot," he reported to her with a hint of a smile on his face.

* * *

~*oMLo*~

After calming Lucien down and then lulling him back to sleep, she returned to the living room twenty-eight minutes later. She expected to spot a shirtless-but-dressed Eric once she entered the room. Instead she found her son's father still sitting in his same spot on her couch. The back of his head was resting on the back of the couch while his brawny and toned right arm was stretched along the top. As she approached the side of the lounge chair, she saw his nudity was on full-display.

"So, how's he doing?" she heard him ask as his head lifted off of the couch. Two cerulean pearls landed on her.

"He's okay. I think he was awakened… _By us_ —

"Nope. By _you_ ," he pointed out.

" _Nah-ooooo_ ," Nasira drawled as her cheeks blushed. "He was awakened by the both of us." She giggled. 'Come on, Eric, let me have this one thing, damn it!' She took steps into the direction of the kitchen. "I'm going to get some water. Would you like some?"

"Sure."

Nasira had gone to the refrigerator and fetched a chilled bottle of water. As she stood in front of the appliance, she cracked open the bottle and took a drink. Once she had her fill, she strolled back into the living room. She eyed the naked leader as she sauntered over to him. His eyes were drawn on her and there was a small smile on his slightly-full lips. She slipped into the space that was in between his bent knees and she stood there. She passed off the opened and half-filled bottle of water.

Eric removed his right arm from its resting place and he leaned forward. "You look good with my shirt on," he informed her as he accepting the bottle. He drew the top of the plastic bottle to his lips.

"Mmm, thank you. I'm sure you must tell that…" As she spoke, her eyes took a glance at his exposed prick, which was laying on his right thigh, still erect even after half-hour of inactivity. A tidbit of information that she couldn't ignore. ' _Got-damn,_ Eric.' She gazed into his eyes. "…to all of your lady-friends."

"Mmm," he grunted as he continued to drink. He removed the bottle from his lips. He settled the bottle onto the hardwood floor. After glancing at her face, he responded with "You're my _only_ lady-friend."

"Mmm-hmm," she skeptically hummed as she crossed her arms under her breasts. She made a step backwards, an effort to pull away from the leader. But she had the back of her knees grabbed by his hands, which caused her to halt.

Eric's eyes focused on her eyes just as his hands slowly crept up the backs of her thighs. His fingers doled out brief caresses, causing her goose-pimples to form along the skin's surface. Her arousal re-awakened. A long and slow inhale came from her parted lips just as her eyes fluttered and then closed. His hands' journeys came to an end, once they reached her ass. His hands had taken hearty, handfuls of her supple flesh. His fingers proceeded to knead the mounds of skin and muscles. A soft and whining moan escaped from her.

"So…"

Nasira's eyes opened and she peeped the handsome face that was presented below her.

"…he's asleep?" Eric queried with a voice that was husky and thick.

A sultry smile slowly appeared on her lips. "Yup," she answered, before tucking her plump bottom lip into her mouth. Both rows of teeth bit down of the flesh before her tongue soothed away the sting.

He dipped forward and nibbled at her shirt-covered stomach. A hiss fell from her. His mouth and his massaging fingers were stoking the fire that was her arousal. She unfolded her arms and allowed her hands to rest on his broad shoulders. She gave his shoulders a firm squeeze before her fingers slipped into the tuft of hair that was on top of his head. Her fingertips teased and tantalized his arousal by lightly scratching at his scalp. A groan vibrated against her belly, in reaction. She felt his hands slip away from her ample bottom and grab the bottom of the tank top. She removed her fingers from his unkempt hair, so she could raise her arms. He stripped the fabric from her stomach while she removed the item from her breasts. Before she could peel it from her face, her tits were already subjected to his inquisitive mouth. She reached down immediately after tossing the top to the floor. "Ah-oh," she lightly moaned as she grasped the back of his head. Her lips lined his forehead with soft kisses as he suckled on her flesh.

Somehow, without her awareness, Nasira climbed onto Eric's lap. Her thick and firm thighs straddled his own powerfully-built thighs. Her bare and hairless cunt rested onto his pelt-covered crotch, which she seductively rubbed herself against. Her inner left thigh felt his hot and turgid skin rub along the surface, matching her groin's movement.

Eric's lips pulled away from her buxom chest and he groaned out in pleasure. Another groan fell from his lips before he uttered, "Baby, just fuckin' ride me already". The back of his head rested on the couch's back while his hands gripped her rounded hips. The mask of euphoria fell upon his face: a deep grimace, his eyes were shut tightly and his lips slightly parted. His throat and leadership tattoos were exposed to her viewing.

Her face leaned forward to his throat and her mouth latched onto the first left column of his marking. His moan flooded her hearing. Her right hand slipped in between their bodies and she sought after his hardness. Once her fingertips touched his flesh, another moan escaped him. As her lips, teeth and tongue worked over his throat, her hand slowly pumped his prick.

"Argh… Come on, baby…" His hands released her hips to give each of her cheeks a hard swat. The strikes were hard enough to cause a pair of echoes to erupt into the room. "…Come on and fuck me," he growled.

His hands' slaps caused her to flinch and to lowly yelp. The stinging sensation that was left behind added to her arousal. He was becoming impatient, which tickled her. She unleashed a coquettish titter. The tip of her tongue drew a line of saliva from his throat to his chin and then to his lips, where her lips snatched his own pair up to form an aggressive kiss. A feral growl-like groan was emitted from his throat. Meanwhile her right hand grabbed the base of his cock and held on, as her pussy swallowed him whole, with one stroke.

"Aaaah…

"AH…

"…ugh!"

"…ARGH!"

Both parents simultaneously unleashed their sounds of carnal pleasure, as they joined together.

Nasira slipped the tops of her feet onto the tops of his thighs before she leaned back. Each of her hands grabbed each of his kneecaps, so she could maintain her balance. She felt his hands tighten their hold on her hips. Her eyes peered at her lover's face. He still was the proud and happy owner of that mask. Now, however, his parted lips allowed bits of grunts to slip out of him. 'Ha-ha…Good,' she quietly gloated. She spread her knees a little bit before she rolled her hips in a slow and repetitive, circular motion. The underside of her clit dragged along the surface of his shaft. She also felt his turgid skin ignite little fires of arousal inside of her. Her face pointed to the ceiling and her eyes closed. "Oooh fuck," she harshly whispered as she struck with pleasure during one turn around.

"Nnn-ah-ggggrrrrr," he groaned.

She released his knees and leaned forward. Her hands gripped the back of the couch. Her face dipped forward and her lips sought his. She raised her ass off of his lap, only to slam down on him, a few seconds later. The movement caused a delicious friction between his cock and her pussy. Both of them groaned. She ground her sex against him again and then she slammed down on him.

"That's it, baby. That's it," he moaned against her lips.

With her beloved's permission and words of encouragement, she had given into her desires. Soon, the living room's walls and windows were decorated with a song of their mating. The sounds of their moans and groans danced along to the same rhythm that was made by the leather cushions as their bodies rocked together. The song was given an edge due to the sounds of his hands occasionally slapping at her plump cheeks and by the sounds of their mouths as they suckled or licked on each other's sweat-slicked skins.

She rode him with a furious pace. Her pussy's walls held a steady and tight grip on his member. In this position, Nasira knew that she was in control now. She was the one that was going to set the pace between them. She was also aware that Eric knew this and he was allowing it to happen. 'He trusts me,' she said to herself, at one point in their fuck-session. 'Oh God, he trusts me,' she quietly moaned. A thick, build-up of pressure permeated through her sex, causing her to released frantic pulses. "Aaah-oh…" she lightly moaned. Her lower body's movements increased in pace and intensity. "…Eric…" she sensually whispered against his cheek. The first ripple of pleasure began to rise to the surface. Her fingers released and contracted around the leather cushion. "…Eric… Eric…" The first climatic wave struck. "Er…" Her brain had gone blank while the muscles in her stomach and legs seized up. Her cunt's walls collapsed around his prick. Her hands released the couch's cushion and her hands clutched the back of his neck. Her lips smashed up against his forehead. "…Eric…" she spoken into his skin as her body continued to be a blissful victim of the onslaught of orgasmic waves.

Abruptly, she found herself on her back and with Eric hovering above her. Her wrists were snatched up into one of his hands and they were pinned onto the couch. His other hand grabbed the back of her left knee and pressed it to the back of the couch, spreading her legs further apart. His hips were still wedged in between her legs and his member was still imbedded inside of her. They performed a desperate and uncoordinated dance while making his prick form staccato strokes. She felt his lips graze her right ear in a clumsy caress.

"I…ah… I love you, baby," he hurriedly declared in a hushed tone.

Eric's declaration of love wasn't a new feat, but it still left with the same reaction just like the first one. Her heart raced but there was pressure.

"I love you too, baby" she moaned. "Oh, I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you," she moaned into his shoulder.

With a full-body shudder and an abrasive moan falling from him, Eric erupted. She felt his prick fill up her cunt with his warm seed. His hand's strength around her wrists had gone slack, as well as, the grip that was on her knee. Her hands gently grabbed onto his waist just as she was gifted with all of his body's weight. Her trembling and over-stretched legs wrapped around his torso and crossed at her ankles. Warm and soft lips touched her jawline to shape a sweet kiss. She took a deep breath and made her body relaxed against the leather. "Ah-ooooh," she sighed, illustrating her satisfaction.

Nasira's dark brown eyes landed their sight on the ceiling. Her ears acknowledged the fact that she left the stereo on, by listening to the music that poured from the speakers. She acknowledged the non-activity that came from the person that she was using as a blanket at the moment. He was still and didn't mutter a word yet. If it wasn't for the rapid rises of his back, she would've believed that he was dead. She tore her sight away from the ceiling and she stared at his left shoulder. "Eric?" she softly stated.

"Mmm?" she heard Eric groaned. His monotone response sounded slurred, as if he was on the cusp of being alert and unconscious.

Her right set of fingers casually slid into his hair and gave him a scratch. He unleashed a hearty moan. "I guess this constitutes as 'make-up sex', huh?"

* * *

~*oMLo*~

"So… Why didn't you tell me that my boss is _your brother_?" queried Nasira as she eyed Eric from her viewpoint that was the sofa.

The faction leader tore his attention away from his hands as they fastened his jeans' closure. His bright blue eyes glanced over at her. "It wasn't important" was his answer.

A mask of disbelief took over her beautiful face. ' _It wasn't important?!_ Tsk… Like hell, it wasn't important!' Nasira slapped her exposed right thigh while she kissed her teeth. "Oh, _really_?" she said to him, with a sense of skepticism.

The Dauntless leader reinforced his point by saying, "It wasn't".

"Bullshit," she responded. She watched Eric sit down on the edge of the couch's cushion. He reached down in between his knees and he grabbed his left leather boot. She was a spectator in watching Eric complete the task of slipping on his footwear. As his fingers proceeded to tie his laces, a notion flashed across her mind's eye. It was an idea that made her heart thump against her breastplate. "Have you…?" Her hesitation made her pause. She received another blue-infused glare from her son's father. 'Ask him,' her conscience ordered her. She took in a deep breath and then said, "Have you…Did you use your brother to keep tabs on me?" She noticed the coldness seep into his orbs. Then he abruptly ended the eye contact and he focused on his shoes. 'I'll take that as a 'yes'.' More silence followed. During this time, she gazed at the bottom of her blue, terry cloth bath robe and the sliver of glistening skin that was a part of her right thigh. In her mind, there was a boisterous party of thoughts, assumptions and ideas about Eric's possible usage for Rafe, throughout this whole time. "Did…" Her dark brown eyes focused on the being that was sitting next to her. "…you come to Dauntless because you knew that Rafe was here?" she asked Eric with a soft-toned voice.

The Dauntless leader glimpsed at her and then at his shoe.

"I take that as a 'yes' from you," she informed him.

His retort was a grunt.

"You're not telling me anything, so I can only assume things about you and I'm sure that you don't want me to do that," she said to him while eyeing his hair. Her left palm cradled the left side of her face. "Mmm?" A smug smile broke out over her lips.

Eric glared at the young mother for a few seconds. His lips held a tight, thin line as his jaw kept clenching and detaching. Then he returned to the task of putting his boots on. Both parties remained silent during the task. Once he was finished, he leaned back into his seat and became comfortable. The back of his head rested on the top of the couch's back support. His eyes gazed at the ceiling for a silent minute before they closed. "Okay…" There was a huff. "What do you want to know?"

'Wha—Wait! He doesn't mean… No. He can't be serious with me. He's lying. He doesn't... No-fucking-way!' Her eyes came to a widened stance while her lips slightly parted. 'He's actually going to…' Her voluptuous mouth formed into a toothy smile. "Are you telling me that I can ask you about anything and you will tell me? Or, is this a joke?"

Eric's head turned his head and his eyes popped open to stare at her. "What do you think?" he told her with an edge to his tone. "I don't make offers when I don't want to give anything, Nass. So…" He returned his focus on the ceiling. "…what do you want to know?"

'Alright Nassy, you might as well take advantage of this moment. Who knows when he will become this open and honest again.' She deeply inhaled and then exhaled. "Oh…Kay. If you're willing to answer my questions, then answer my other ones. Did you use your brother to keep tabs on me? And, did you come to Dauntless because your brother was here?"

Eric sighed before he replied with "Yes and no, in that exact order".

A chill clung to her skin. His answer to her first question had silence most of the internal inquiries that were roaming through her mind. He was indeed using Rafe as his informant. It made sense as to why he was inside of her home, on the night of her homecoming from the ten-month sabbatical in Amity. Rafe told him about her return. 'It makes sense—Wait, how—

"How did you get inside of my apartment before?" she blurted out the inquiry.

"Simple… On the night when we fucked…"

A shiver ran down her body after she heard the crude word that he chose to describe their moments.

"…for the first time, when I had to come up here and use your bathroom, I looked at your hand. When you were typing in our key-code, I memorized your number," confessed Eric.

'Aaa-Ohhh! So, that's how he knows.' Her eyes gazed at Eric's long legs and she was overwhelmed with the urge to sit on his thick thighs. She turned her attention to his handsome face. She noticed that his eyes were still closed. "Tell me about your reason for defecting to Dauntless."

" _Defecting_?" His eyes popped open and he glared at her. "Did you just said that I ' _defected_ ' to Dauntless?" His tone displayed a sense of being offended, which completely shattered what was left to his wall of stoicism.

Nasira raised her arms in the air in a mock surrender. "Alright, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said 'defect' to you! I'm sorry!" she told him. Once she finished watching the blazing anger drain from his eyes, she muttered, "I'm sorry… Damn".

"I didn't defect to Dauntless," he reaffirmed. Eric stared up at the ceiling again. "I didn't defect… I just came home, that's all. I never belong in Erudite."

"How come?"

"It's the same reason you had, when it came to staying in here and wanting to go to Amity," he pointed out. "I was never…" His lips pursed. "…an Erudite, to begin with. I didn't have the desire to live the rest of my life inside of someone's lab… Testing stuff and being some scientist's lackey." He snorted, in disgust. "The rigidness and the rules… It wasn't for me. I wanted out of there. Rafe being here? It was just a coincidence."

Nasira couldn't hold back any longer. She crawled out of her poised position and she invaded the Dauntless leader's personal space. She held onto his right shoulder before she climbed onto his spacious lap. She straddled his thighs and sat on his legs. She felt his hands grip her hips, seconds later. Her fingers made swipes of caresses to his shoulders and face. There were groans of appreciation from him. "Tell me…" She glanced at his face and waited for the reaction that she knew was going to be there. "…about your family."

There was a shiver and an exhale from his nostrils. His body had gone tight underneath her hands. The emotional tension in his long form, permeated from his body and shot up into the living room's atmosphere. It caused her skin to prickle and the fine hairs on her forearms to raise. Her stomach tightened up with mild anxiety.

"What do you want to know?" Eric mumbled, after a moment of his awkward silence. He kept his eyes closed, still.

'Oh,' her brain murmured, 'shit'. The tip of her tongue licked her lips before she stated her answer. "I want to know about your family. How were your parents? Do you have any more siblings, besides Rafe?" Nasira already knew the answer to her inquiries, courtesy of the background search that Malachi performed. But she wanted to see if he would finally answer.

"Yes, I have more than one sibling. I have another brother named Francis. He lives in Erudite with my mother. He's a janitor. He's…" He sniffled. His right thumbnail scratched at his hairline. "… Slow…"

Her facial features frowned up while a coldness swept through her. 'Oh no,' she silently whimpered.

'…He's not slow to the point, where he cannot…" He inhaled and on the exhale, he stated, "He's not incapable of taking care of himself." His palms and fingers massaged her thighs. "But he needs assistance, though."

"So, what's going to happen to him, when your parents can't take care of him? Where is he going to go?" she asked him. She knew that Erudite's policies were logic-based and not based off of empathy. She was sure that the proper officials were going to allow Eric's brother to fend for himself. Or they were going to place the man into The Hole, if they felt that he couldn't be able to take care of himself.

"They are going to put him in one of their homes, more than likely," he reasoned.

"What about placing him with any of your other family—

"Besides Francis and my mother, I have no other family members in Erudite. So, once she dies, then Francis is on his own," Eric informed her. There was an edginess to his voice as he spoke. She couldn't tell if it was anger or sadness.

"What about you—

"Faction before blood, Nass."

"That's such bullshit," she hissed. Her anger rose to the surface once she heard about his willingness to leave his brother to his defenses.

"It's not. It's our way of life. I cannot take an Erudite citizen—

" _He's your brother_ , Eric," she told him with a curl to her top lip. "He's your brother!"

Eric opened his eyes and lifted his head from off of the couch. He leveled a steely glare at the woman that sat in front of him. "He doesn't belong _here_. He is in Erudite. He will stay in Erudite and he will eventually grow old and die in Erud-

"Tell me about your parents." She changed the subject. She wanted to salvage whatever was left to their peaceful moment. She knew that if they continued to converse about his brother's future welfare, then they would've ended their night on bad terms. "Tell me about your mom and dad."

"It was just my mom," he confessed. "I don't know my dad. He left before I was born."

'He… Left? Could've sworn that it was more like a 'wham-bam, thank you ma'am' type of situation.' The knuckles on her left hand caressed his cheeks. She watched his eyelids flutter a few times before they closed over his blue orbs. She felt his coarse hands squeeze at her legs, in appreciation. "So, it was just your mother?"

"Yup," he groaned, "and she wasn't much of a mother, to begin with". He roughly inhaled. "She drank a lot. She didn't take care of us. She spent most of her time out of the house and when she was home, she slept. And when she was awake, all she did was yell at us and occasionally slapped us around. We took care of each other. Rafe took most of the responsibilities while Francis and I looked after each other. When Rafe left for Dauntless, then it was really just me and Francis taking care of each other."

"Did you…?" She paused.

"Did I, _what_?"

"Feel… _Bad_ … About leaving Francis behind?" she reluctantly asked him.

"No," he answered.

'Bullshit,' her brain whispered. "I'm sorry to hear that," she gently expressed. She knew that the faction leader was lying to her. She _sensed_ it. He didn't have any physical, tale-tell marks that were committed as he told his fibs, according to her. But she could sense them.

"Don't be," he mumbled. He sighed. "Any more questions?"

Nasira performed a shaking of her head. "No, I don't have any more questions." Her lips sought after his to shape a sweet kiss that was soft and quick. Her arms formed a loose hold around his neck. "Thank you for answering the ones that I've asked," she said onto his lips.

Eric kissed her once again. "You're welcome," he muttered.

"Thank you… Once again. I know that you hate _talking about yourself_ , which is shocking ever since you love to preen like…" She began to giggle. "… _a fucking peacock_ through The Pit!" She dissolved into a fit of giggles. He gave her a grimace and a frown as a reply. She ended up laughing harder. As the laughter segue into a soft chuckle, she planted another kiss to his lips. "I'm sorry for laughing at you," she lightly chuckled. She traced the left side of his jaw with kisses. Once her lips reached his left ear, her tongue's tip flicked at his earlobe. She simultaneously felt his hands increased their strength and she heard his whining groan. Her tongue traced the outer ridge of his ear.

"Nah…Sssssss-Rah," he groaned into her shoulder.

Nasira's spirit smiled. She loved making the faction leader lose his cool. Her hands cupped his cheeks. She gazed into his eyes. "Sorry," she softly apologized.

His cornflower blue eyes perused her face's appearance. "Don't be."

Nasira eyed his handsome face. She took note of his face's poor complexion. His skin held an unhealthy shade of pale. His skin's condition was to the point where his thin veins were visible. His eyes displayed his current state of fatigue. Underneath each eye, there was a discolored pouch of flesh. Each upper and lower eyelid held an unusual pinkish color. "Mmm," she hummed as her left set of fingertips lightly grazed his forehead.

"What?" he uttered, sounding as if he was curious yet tired.

"You need to get some sleep…" she notified him. Then, in a lukewarm, British accent, she finished the statement with "…my love". Her left palm cupped his right cheek. "Once you leave here, you need to go home and go to sleep, cause…" Her lips formed a smirk. "…you look like shit, babe," she joked. "You're tired."

"Being a leader is a 'twenty-four hour' job," he told her. "I have to be there for the initiates and for the trainers."

"The last time I check, Eric, there are four other leaders. They can help you."

"No," groaned Eric. "The initiates are my job."

"Okay, they are your responsibility. But what's going to happen to them, if your ass becomes sick? Mmm? You can't intimidate your sickness into submission," she pointed out.

He groaned with irritation.

"Yeah-yeah-yeah," she sang, sarcastically. She pressed her plump lips into his soft ones. "I know that you think that I am a fucking nagging banshee," she stated to his lips, afterwards. Her lips traveled over to each of his cheeks, where she planted kisses. "I am this way because I love you." Her lips decorated the bridge and the tip of his refined nose with soft kisses. She gave his brow another peck before she rested her forehead against his. Her dark brown orbs focused on his blues. "Promise me that you will go straight home and straight to bed after you leave here," she told him.

He sighed. Then he uttered, "I can't. I have to meet up with the trainers."

"Does this have to be a 'face-to-face' meeting or can you speak over the phone?"

His eyes narrowed while his nostrils flared. But he was exuding a benevolent energy. "No, it doesn't have to be—

"Then good…" Nasira pulled away while her hands gripped his shoulders. "…then you can make a conference call as you prepare for bed," she smartly told him.

Eric deeply inhaled and rolled his eyes with annoyance etched on his face. His ministrations reminded Nasira of their son's reactions prior to his tantrums. "Fine, I'll do it."

'Good.' A grin graced her lips before she planted a soft kiss to his mouth. He responded in kind. "So, what time do you want to meet up tomorrow?"

"For the trip to the Bureau of Records?"

"Mmm-hmm," she hummed.

"What time do you want to meet up?"

"As early as possible, to be quite honest with you. The earlier we arrive, the better. Places like that tend to get crowded real fast. I know that the Bureau open up at eight o' clock in the morning, so we should meet up at seven, then" she suggested.

"Seven o' clock?" Eric pursed his lips and then nodded his head. "Okay." There was a short amount of silence between the two adults before he spoke again. "I gotta go," he announced.

In response, her thighs tried to squeeze onto his thicker thighs together. It was a non-verbal display of disappointment.

"Come on…" announced Eric. His right hand gave her left thigh a series of rapid pats. "…up."

Nasira huffed and slid off of the Dauntless leader. She found a spot on the couch. She viewed Eric as he stood up from the couch and as he prepared to leave.

"Do you want me to meet you in Erudite tomorrow?" she asked as she watched him slip his left arm in his denim vest.

The Dauntless leader glanced at her from over his right shoulder. "Yeah," came from his lips. He turned towards her and held his right hand out in front of him.

Nasira's darkened honey-brown eyes glimpsed at the offered hand. A smile slowly rose to the surface, as well as, the deep ripple that had gone off in the pit of her stomach. A subtle touch of heat filled up her face and neck. It was the same occurrence with every occasion. It was an ordinary, gentlemanly gesture that she was given since her toddler-years. It was a subtle move that was done by her brothers, father and her other male relatives. It was considered to be nothing of great importance. However, when the hand belonged to Eric, it carried the same importance of the sun's existence. She accepted his offer and he helped her stand up to her feet. Eric allowed Nasira to lead him to the front door.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow," she said to him as she held the door open.

"Yeah," he muttered before dipping down to kiss her again.

"Okay," she breathed onto his lips.

"Take care," Eric simply stated as he pulled away from her.

Nasira witnessed his exit from her home. She stood in the doorway that led to the corridor and she stared at his retreating back. 'And we're right back to square-one,' her conscience reminded her. A soft grimace touched her face.

Before she could delve further into her case of self-reflection, the sounds of her ringing phone distracted her.


	2. An Education

**Author's Notes:**

Alright, here is the concluding chapter to "The Unseen Wounds". This chapter was... Tough, for me to write. It was due to the material and subject matter. I've warned people, on my Tumblr page, about Eric's behavior. He is a major-major-major dickhead in this story and he is definitely one in this chapter.

FYI, I will be going on a 'writing break'. Not a long one. Just up until the end of May. My brain needs to be refreshed.

 **Rating:** **M for 'Mature'/ definitely NSFW**

 **WARNINGS:** Adult language. Adult content. Mild Violence. Mentions of drug abuse. A/U. Non-Canon. Characters are OOC in my story. This story mainly comprised of O/C's.

 **DISCLAIMER** : I am not the owner of the Divergent Series. I am also not the songwriter for "Over My Head". That wonderful song belongs to The Alabama Shakes.

Please rate and review.

Thank you to the people, who have already left me a review. Or, have place this short story into their 'Favorites' lists.

Enjoy.

* * *

~*oMLo*~

Normally Rogue's impromptu catering requests would induce a sense of irritation in Nasira. She would usually roll her eyes and snarl in response before she would unleash a streak of profanity-laced insults at him. However, after experiencing such an emotional tumultuous day, she welcomed the request. It provided her mind with a well-needed distraction.

Once her baby brother opened the front door, Rogue greeted her with a look of mild surprise. "Nassy!" His amber-colored eyes took a swift inventory of the two box-shaped structures that were resting by her feet, on the corridor's floor. "Dude!" He stared at his sister. "You should've called me, when you arrived!" Rogue took the initiative with the carrying process. He took a hold of the polyester strap that was attached to the meal bag, which was by her left foot. "I would've came downstairs to help you." He stood off to the side and allowed his sister to enter the luxurious, penthouse apartment.

Nasira entered her brother's home and was immediately immersed in the hyperactive and jovial scene. The white painted walls were decorated with raucous cheers and laughter. 'I see that his friends are here,' she concluded as she walked out of the hallway.

"The fellas are here," announced Rogue. "They're currently in the yard right now… Skeet-shooting."

She stopped walking and she glimpsed at her brother. "And no one hasn't accidentally shot themselves yet?" she asked with a smile.

Rogue chuckled as he walked pass. "You're talking about trained killers, Nassy. These are the same men that can shoot the wings off of a fly that is a hundred yards away. Trust me, _they_ know how to handle a gun." The siblings exited out of the corridor and entered the small hallway that led to several rooms' entrances. He led the way to his kitchen as they continued to converse. The brother and sister settled the red, plastic bags on a pair of stools that were by his counter-island. "Alright sis, what did you make us?" he asked with excitement.

Nasira began to unzip the left bag, the one that was closest to her. "Well…" she sighed. "…tonight, I decided to go all out…"

" _Oooh-ooh-ooh_!" Rogue cheered with laughter stitched to his voice. His palms feverishly rubbed against each other. "I know that when you decide _to go all out_ , then we're in for a treat!"

She smiled at her brother just as her cheeks filled with warmth. She finished unzipping the bag. She pulled the flap away from the stack of stored, plastic food bins. The kitchen immediately filled with the delicious scents of stewed tomatoes and sharp spices. She began to pull out the plastic bins. "Tonight, I made you guys spaghetti and meatballs. There's chicken alfredo… And, stuffed manicotti… I also cooked tortellini with cheese and garlic and butter. There's a garden salad and I bought several salad dressings by the way. There's garlic bread with mozzarella cheese and another one without any cheese…"

" _Ooooh-ooh-ooh_ ," her brother excitedly sang.

"…In here, there's shrimp scampi and shrimp parme—

" _Shrimp parmesan?!_ Where-in the-hell did you get money to buy shrimp?! The last time I've checked…With your salary, you don't make enough money to buy shrimp!"

"Don't worry about it. I didn't buy them," she notified Rogue. She peered into the somewhat-empty bag, but she wasn't focused on the contents. She was recalling the event that occurred several hours ago. She remembered her hands holding onto Lucien's stroller and pushing the umbrella carriage down a makeshift aisle, in the farmers' market. Her sneaker-clad feet angrily strode against the pavement. Her eyes were quickly glancing at the shelves of raw seafood that were on display. She recalled the red-hot rage that encapsulated her spirit during this time. Then, Nasira remembered the fact that the person who was the cause for this rage was strolling right behind her. He was there, ready to purchase her groceries. It was his attempt at apologizing. She pulled out of the stream of memories and focused on the task at hand. "Um, I didn't pay for any of this… _Eric did_ ," she confessed.

"Eric?!" he hummed. "Mmm…"

'Yup. It was the least that he could—

"Do… That asshole," mumbled Nasira as she removed the last food bin. She was unaware that Rogue caught her statement.

"Is everything okay with you and Eric?" queried Rogue.

Nasira eyed her brother. She plastered a lukewarm grin on her face. "Everything is alright. We're…" She huffed. "We had a disagree…"

'Ha. Ha… That's _one way_ of putting it.'

"…ment this morning, when we were in Erudite. The shrimp-buying was his way of apologizing to me."

" _Erudite?_ Why were you in the 'Land of the Bougie in Blue'?"

Nasira snickered. "I had to go to the Bureau of Records to…"

 _'_ _You stupid bit—_

The sharp memory managed to cut through her consciousness. In her mind, Eric's angry face flashed. A shiver dripped down her spine and caused her flesh to prickled up.

"…change," she sighed, "…Luke's last name".

"Oh really?" said Rogue, with his sense of happiness laced throughout his voice. "So, my nephew has become a 'Coulter' now?" He was completely unaware of his sister's state of uneasiness.

"Yeah," she said to him with a few jerky head nods. "My baby boy… Is a Coulter. I should receive his new birth certificate and social security card tomorrow," she told him as she began to remove food from the second bag.

"You know what that means, right? By the end of tomorrow night, everyone in the city will know that the _'_ _big and bad'_ Eric Coulter is the father to your kid." Rogue strolled over to the sink. He leaned against the edge of the counter. "Does _his girlfriend_ know already?"

Nasira shook her head as she arranged the island's countertop. "Nope."

"Nnnnnnnn…" he groaned with displeasure. He released a series of mirthless chuckles. His hand rubbed his face. "She is going to be in for one hell-of a-surprise," he jibed. He sighed and then crossed his arms. "Do you think she will dump him once she finds out? I've interacted with home-girl several times, thanks to the medical conferences that happens in Erudite…" He scratched the back of his head. "She… She, um, doesn't give off the 'warm and nurturing step-mother' vibe to me."

A mirthless chuckle fell from her lips. "Anissa could walk in on me and Eric, going at it like we're two bears in heat, in their bed…" She glanced at her brother. "…She won't do shit."

Rogue's handsome face frowned up. "Ewww," he squealed.

Nasira gave her brother a light scolding look. "Anissa…" She resumed taking out the bins. "…is a pretty, social-climber that is from Erudite. She may be in Dauntless now, but she is an Erudite, through-and-through. She wants to be surrounded by important people and she wants to be consider just as important. Eric is a leader, so what is a better way for her to get there? …She's not going to leave him. She won't leave him. Shit, I could get pregnant by Eric _again_ and she won't leave him. She'll just grin and bear it." An odd and unannounced wave of warmth overwhelmed her. She didn't dwell on analyzing the peculiar sensation. "And she won't ever let anybody know about her discomfort."

"She might surprise you, sis. The _good, Doctor Howard_ might dump our surly leader as soon as she finds out."

"Yeah-yeah-yeah," she groaned. She placed the plastic bags on the floor and she took a step back, away from the countertop. She eyed the food's set up. She concluded that everything was set-up perfectly. She looked towards her brother. "Alright, do you have plates and-

"Yeah, I do…" Rogue turned away from her and focused on the trio of cupboards that were mounted on the wall, above the sink. His left hand grabbed onto a cabinet's handle. "…But these sons-of-bitches are going to be eating off of the paper plates and plastic forks that I bought this morning. They are not scratching up my good shit. Nah-ah! No, ma'am!" he told her as he produced a stack of disposable plates from the cupboard. He tossed the stack onto the countertop.

Nasira laughed as she watched him retrieved other eating utensils from various drawers.

From over his right shoulder, Rogue declared, "You might as well make yourself a plate before I call the guys in here. 'Cause they are going to decimate whatever is left on that table, darling," her brother advised.

"I'm set. I ate before I came here and I put some of the food to the side," she reported.

Nasira strolled away from the countertop and walked across the spacious kitchen to the 'breakfast nook'. She took a seat on the padded bench that was in front of the window. She observed her brother as he added the finishing touches to the countertop, by adding more utensils and stacks of napkins.

"Are you sure that you're alright, Nass?" queried Rogue. His sister heard the concern in his voice.

Nasira eyed her brother and presented him with a smile. "I'm fine, Rogue" she lied.

When, truthfully, she was tired and it didn't stem from the lack of rest.

* * *

~*oMLo*~

 **Ten hours and thirty-six minutes ago**

A pair of dark brown eyes peered at the round face that was highlighted by a golden rim. Each golden hand was pointed in different directions.

'Eleven-ten… Ugh!' she grunted, internally. Her eyes looked away from her wrist watch and she surveyed the environment. There were plenty of men loitering in the area, but none of them were Eric. Her heart began to violently pump while the disappointing notion of Eric's lack of presence, settled in. "Fuck," she spewed from her lips. 'I'm not going to call him again. I've done that one too many times, already.'

"Mama," slurred Lucien, from his seat in his stroller.

Her eyes peered down at the bruised face of her son. He was slightly turned in his seat, so he could take a glance at her. There was a sense of frustration coming from him. It caused her own stress to grow. She knew that the toddler was tired and was feeling cranky about having to sit in his stroller for this long. She also knew that he was upset about being surrounded by strangers and having some of those people stare at him. "You wanna go, baby boy?" Nasira said to her son. In response, Lucien pointed in the direction from which they came from. 'Yeah, he wants to go.'

She scanned the sprawling courtyard that was in front of the building, once more. Her logic was telling her that Eric wasn't in the vicinity and he wasn't going to show up. But her hope was asking her to wait for a few more minutes. 'It's been four hours already,' her conscience notified her.

It has indeed been four hours ever since she arrived to the Bureau of Records' headquarters. It was a few minutes before seven o'clock in the morning, when the mother arrived. Lucien was still soundly asleep and was in his stroller, wrapped up in a throw blanket. The sun was barely settled in the sky and there were only a handful of citizens walking around. She had hopes of being one of the first customers to be served for the day. The Dauntless woman did manage to snag a lucrative spot on the line that was forming in front of the building's entrance. But she had to give up the spot, an hour later, when Eric did not arrive and the public was allowed to enter the building.

Nasira stared at her son. 'Got-damnit… Eric.' Despite her inner raging beast roaring away, she slipped on a pleasant façade for her son's sake. She smiled down at the toddler. "Let's go home, big boy," she announced with an enthusiasm that wasn't genuine.

A husky giggle came from the baby. He clapped his tiny chubby hands. His mother chuckled as she stripped her left shoulder of the diaper bag's strap that she was carrying.

"Alright Lukie, let's take you out of your stroller and let you walk to the car," she stated as she settled into a squatting position. She saw her son nod his head in agreement. She placed the diaper bag on the pavement. "Okay honey," she murmured before she took a hold of his blanket. She quickly folded the article and then draped it over the bag that was on the floor. She freed her son's body from the stroller's harness straps and then she pulled him out. Once his feet were settled onto the courtyard's pavement, she received a round of applause from the excited toddler. She giggled. "Thank you," she announced as she made a swift bow in front of him. Her hearing picked up his chuckling. Nasira proceeded to close the stroller. Afterwards, she grabbed a hold of the diaper bag in her right hand, along with the stroller's handles and then her left hand took a hold of Lucien's right hand. She peeked at her son. "Alright, let's go home."

Both mother and son began to stroll away from the building. Ever since she was walking with a toddler, her usual pace had slowed down to a speed that matched his stride. Occasionally, she stopped walking just so Lucien could investigate objects that captured his curiosity. Nasira would smile and make attempts to aid the child in learning the names of said objects. Her son either tried to recite the name of the object or his voice would dissolve into giggles. Within the hour, they managed to make it out of the courtyard and become close to the location of the jeep's parking spot. They were walking on a side street that was filled with small businesses and trees that were planted along the sidewalk's curb.

"Mama!" Lucien chirped as he pulled on his mother's hand.

Nasira glanced at her son. "Mmm, baby?" She watched the toddler point to a young fir tree that was planted along the curb of the same sidewalk that they were walking on. "That's a tree, baby," she informed the child.

"Ah…Trah-ree!" announced Lucien.

"Yes, baby, it's a tree. Can you…"

" _Oh my goodness, look at that baby's face_!" It was feminine-sounding and it was coming from the opposing direction. _"_ _They start early with the training, don't they?"_

Nasira's ears picked up the comment. She couldn't help but hear the comment. She was sure that it smacked her on the face and left a lasting mark. "…say you 'tree' for me?" She finished the inquiry that was addressed to her son before her eyes sought after the woman who made the comment. Her sight landed on a trio of women and a pre-teen girl. All of them were dressed in their Erudite-approved clothes: tailored, uniform-like clothes that were in various shades of blue. Nasira promptly figured that all of the female Erudites were related to each other, due to their similar noses and light brown eyes, which were aimed in her son's direction. 'Nosy-fucking-bitches,' her brain hissed.

"Trah-ree!" Lucien repeated before he fell into a streak of giggles.

Her eyes focused on her son. She smiled. "Yeah, baby, you're correct. It's a tree. You said it so…" The mother felt the eyes of the female passersby as they walked behind her. She felt their negative energies brush against her bared shoulders. She rolled her eyes and then snarled. 'Such fucking noses!' "…good, my big boy!"

The toddler managed to free his little hand from out of his mother's grip and then he trotted over to the tree. His fat, lightly brown hands touched the smooth bark that belonged to the fir. His lips spat out several babbles, as well as, some giggles. "Ma…" Lucien glanced over his right shoulder to stare at his mother. "…ma! Trah—

 **"** **NASS!"**

The shout reminded her of thunder. It was booming, loud and violent. The gruff and unexpected name-call caused both mother and son to slightly flinch, from fright. She looked away from her son and into the direction from which they came from.

Nasira stared at the Dauntless leader as he rapidly made long strides into their location. He was quickly closing in the thirty feet of space that was in between them.

 _"_ _Oh my…"_

 _"_ _Did you see him?"_

 _"_ _Ugh, Dauntless people don't know how to behave…"_

Nasira spotted the same group of women, looking into her direction again. They were standing in spots that were behind the walking Dauntless leader. Each person held an expression of mild mortification on their faces as they viewed the scenario.

'Nosy-ass women.' She quickly returned her glare to the man that was approaching.

As Eric became closer, she noticed his haggard and sickly appearance. It became obvious to the mother that Lucien's father didn't follow with her suggestion, from the previous night. He didn't go home and sleep, like she suggested. He appeared to have done the opposite, according to Nasira. His skin still held onto the pale and ghastly tone while the bags that were under his eyes still remained present. The sunlight highlighted the layer of perspiration that covered his face. His eyes, however, were the most startling feature. Both upper and lower eyelids contained a vibrant shade of redness.

'It's the Wept,' her conscience told her. The notion that Eric spent his night ingesting Wept caused her to feel angry, along with the sense of disappointment. "Shit," she hissed.

"Dada!"

Nasira glanced at their son. The child was gazing at his father while his left index finger pointed at the Dauntless leader.

"Dada!" he happily shrieked again.

Before she could calculate Lucien's next move, the child surprised her by taking off into Eric's direction. His tiny, sneaker-clad feet committed to a spirited trot. His body emitted joyful sounds of laughter as he ran. His father reached twelve feet before them as he came to a sudden halt. He swiftly slipped into a squatting position and he held his arms out to their sides. There was a lukewarm smile to his lips while his ghastly-looking eyes were focused on the approaching boy. Once Lucien collided into his father's chest, arms quickly enveloped him and he was nurtured with kisses to his forehead. Eric picked the child up and then stood up. Lucien grabbed his father's cheeks and gave him a kiss on his left one.

The father and son interaction caused Nasira to feel a deep warmth throughout her body, which left her skin feeling a slight buzzing. She performed a toothy smile. She watched the pair of Eric's travel over to her. 'Well, I'll be… He did actually show up.' As the older Eric walked into her direction, she admitted to herself that this was the only time that she didn't mind being wrong.

 _"_ _Where-in the-fuck did you think you were going?!"_ hissed Eric, once he was close enough. The statement wasn't screamed, but it held the same amount of malice that a scream would contain.

The smile that was plastered on her face faltered and crumbled off while her spirit was filled with the confusion that always came with the sense of shock.

Eric didn't wait for the young woman to react to his anger. He continued to speak at her. "I told you that we would meet up in front of the Bureau of Records…"

"Dada…" Lucien happily chirped, completely unaware of the rising tension. He continued to babble to his father.

"…Where were you?! I had gone there and you weren't there! Thank God, I drove down this way and saw you! I thought we agree…"

Nasira's head slowly shook. Her lips parted. "I… I did go there. I wait…"

"…Dada…"

"…to meet up in front of the building!" Eric angrily announced.

"…ed for four hours, Eric." She stopped shaking her head. " _I waited and waited and waited_. I even called your phone, about ten times. Check your phone. We agreed that we would meet up at seven o' clock, today. It's…" She looked to her wrist watch and she read the time. "…close to…" She returned her gaze to Eric. "…noon, Eric! I know how to tell time. _Do you_?!"

Eric abruptly invaded her personal space. His right index finger was aimed at her chin. "Don't you dare speak to me like that… You, _stupid bitch_!" he snarled.

Her spirit became flooded with a cacophony of emotions: a sense of surprise, which was followed by confusion and then anger. Her eyes widened while her jaw became slack. 'He… Didn't…'Her right hand slapped at the back of his right hand, effectively removing his index finger from out of her face. The sound of the impact echoed into the warm, humid air. "If you ever say that word to me again…" Her voice trailed off into a series of anger-fueled pants. Her conscience whispered, 'He's not worth it, Nass'. Her eyes flickered their gaze onto their boy. "Gimme my son," she ordered. She was going to follow up with her original plan, which was to go home. 'Fuck Eric and his fucking need to carry on his name. Fuck it! Let his other children carry his piece-of-shit name, when he has them with that bitch!' She was about to grab onto Lucien, when she had her hands pushed away by one of Eric's larger ones. She watched Eric step away from her. "Eric, gimme my son," she ordered again.

"No!" the Dauntless leader declared. He had taken another step backwards while he placed a protective hand on Lucien's back. "We're going back—

Out of anger, Nasira callously dropped the stroller onto the pavement. The sound of hard plastic slammed against the pavement. "No, _me and Luke are going home_ , Eric!" she hissed at him. She took a few steps into his direction. "I've been here since seven o' clock this morning with him! _Seven o' clock!_ And you finally dragged _your sorry ass here_ and it's going on twelve o' clock! I had to take the day off from fucking work just to be here and I wasted my got-damned time!" She had taken two more steps into his direction. "Now, gimme my son! We're going home! I'm not going back there wit—

"What-the fuck-are you talking about?!" growled Eric. He stormed into her personal space. "He's my son, too! You're trying to steal him away from me!"

' _What. The fuck. Is he even talking about_?!'

"You're trying to take him away from me! You and that fucking, do-gooder, goody-two-shoes family of yours that—

Nasira didn't allow the Dauntless leader to finish his statement. Her right hand shot up and slapped his left cheek. She didn't dwell on the discomfort that was running through her fingers and the palm of her hand. The loud and harsh sound of skin slapping skin managed to break through the sound barrier. It bounced off of the facades of buildings to form echoes. A few seconds after its eruption, the sounds of Lucien's hectic cries penetrated the air. Her attention was split into two different directions. She was made aware of her son's crying as she eyed his father's reddening face. Her anger struck down her maternal instincts, so she could focus on the man that was standing before her.

"You… _Fucking, junkie-Wept bastard_!" she groaned at him. A shuddering breath fell from her. "You…" Her right index finger pointed directly into his face. Eric's right hand reached for the offending object, however she quickly moved it out of the way. "You have the _audacity to talk shit_ about my family!" she growled. "My own parents… _Cared enough about your ass_ that they were willing to risk their positions for you! My own mother allowed you to stay in her office while you were some scrawny-ass wimp, who was afraid of his own fucking shadow! You…" She paused. A shaky sigh escaped from her. She slightly turned away from him. Her eyes stared at the light blue sky as she assessed her current state. Her body hummed while the blood raced through her veins. A dull pounding flooded her ear canals. Her hands reached up to the crown of her head. Her fingers clumsily snatched up tufts of her hair. 'Don't even…' She wanted to get herself in control. He was dragging her into a dark and evil place. She didn't want to go there. 'Get Luke from him and take him home,' her conscience told her. She sharply inhaled which was followed by a deep exhale. She whipped around and faced both males. She held her hands out in front of her. "Gimme my son," she ordered.

The Dauntless leader shook his head at her.

'God…DAMN IT!' Nasira grimaced and then quickly smoothed her facial features out. She eyed Eric again. "Eric, I'm not in the mood right now. Gimme my son." Once again, he chose to disregard her command. "Gimme… My damn son, Eric!" she shouted at him.

"We—

Nasira unleashed a guttural growl. "He's not going anywhere with you! _Gimme my son! Now_!"

"No, we're going—

"Excuse me, Sir… Ma'am?"

Her attention was taken off of the irritating, Dauntless leader and it landed on the pair of men that was approaching Eric's back. She noticed that the two men were wearing the blue uniforms that the Erudite patrolmen wore. Her sense of irritation for the man in black had grown. A hand did a rough drag through her coils. 'Fuck. _Thank you_ , Eric, for bringing these assholes to us,' her brain cursed.

The officer that stood on Nasira's right side focused his attention on her. His right hand stripped his face of the pair of silver-framed Aviator sunglasses that highlighted his brown skin and gray goatee. "Ma'am, is everything all—

"Don't fucking speak to her," growled Eric, into the officer's face.

The officer's partner stepped forward and held his right hand in front of him. "Sir, we want to make sure…"

The sunglasses' owner then interjected. "Sir, we want to make sure that everyone is okay. Right now, we're concern about your boy. He is crying a little too…"

"So, mind your _got-damned business_!" Eric shouted at the two men.

She knew that the Dauntless leader was treading on thin ice. She didn't know the exact jurisdiction between Erudite's and Dauntless' leaders, but she had a hunch that Eric couldn't just disrespect Erudite's officers. 'Oh, this fucking idiot!' She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Eric!" Nasira shouted at his back.

The Dauntless leader turned to her. Nasira took note of his face. His face was flushed with immense rage. His skin was soiled with a deep shade of red while his nostrils flared and his teeth were clenched. He pointed his left index finger at her. " _This is your fucking fault!_ " he accused her.

"Sir, please leave the woman alone and just focus on us!" the intruding cop announced, with a level of authority in his voice.

Eric brusquely spun around and he strode up to the pair of cops. "Do you know _who-the fuck-that I am_?!" screamed Eric at the both of them. "I am a _Dauntless leader…"_

Meanwhile, Lucien was staring at his mother from over his father's broad, left shoulder. His chubby arms were extended in front of him, reaching out for her. He was in the throes of his anguished crying. His face was just as red as his father's face. His cheeks and chin were covered in tears, as well as, mucus.

"Sir," the officer that stood directly in front of Eric and on his left side, calmly spoke. He didn't have his focus on the hostile Dauntless leader. He was staring over the man's shoulder. His own lightly-tanned, face carried a sense of restraint that was barely controlled. "Can you please calm down?" The cop that stood on the left had taken one step forward. He held his hands in front of him with his palms facing forward. In a calm tone, he stated, "Sir…Please. Can you calm down?"

Eric focused on the officer. "Don't you fucking tell me…"

"Sir, I'm not telling you what…"

"Sir… Just… _Look at your son_. Please… Just look at your boy," the other officer snapped. His brusque tone managed to disrupt the dialogue between the two men.

Eric glared at the man. "What did you say about my boy?" he growled.

The cop used his right hand to point into Lucien's direction. "Look at him. Better yet, _listen to him_ …"

All of the adults became aware of the boy, who was still hysterically crying. Four pairs of eyes focused on the toddler who wept into his father's broad shoulder. The little boy's body trembled with exertion.

"Your son is scared right now," the officer explained. The man, then, aimed his gaze at Nasira once again. "Look at your lady, man."

She felt three pairs of eyes land on her, a millisecond later. Her eyes quickly found the pair of blue orbs that she was familiar with. His eyelids were still red and slightly swollen, but they also were moist with wasted tears.

"She's also scared," the cop pointed out.

Nasira couldn't deny the officer's assessment. She did feel fissures of fear circulating through her soul, at the moment. For the second time within the twenty-four-hour period, Eric had become so enraged that it clouded his logic and awareness. She was his first victim. Now, these Erudite officers were his second and third victims. Except, with these current victims, they had the opportunity to shoot and physically harm Eric, if they felt their lives being threatened.

Suddenly, the sunglasses-owning cop asked, "Say… Were you and the missus heading over to any place, in particular?"

Nasira parted her lips and was about to answer the question.

"Bureau of Records," Eric immediately answered as he gently rocked Lucien in his arms.

"Alright," the cop sighed. He turned to his partner. "Demetrius, can you please escort the woman and the baby to the Marshall Citizenship Building? To the…" The older gentleman's face softly grimaced as he tried to think. "…Um, thirteenth floor, to the Bureau of Records?" He eyed Eric. "I just want to talk to this young man for a minute."

"I—

The older cop held his hand up, a gesture to show his benevolence. "I'm only asking for a minute, Sir. I just want to tell you something. It won't take long. Is that alright with you, Sir?"

It had taken the Dauntless leader a few seconds to answer. Wordlessly, he answered by handing out a curt head nod. The pair of blue eyes glanced at her, from over his right shoulder. They beckoned her to come over and take Lucien from him.

Nasira took small steps towards the leader's side. She gazed at him warily as she held her hands out in front of her. She continued to survey his face as he moved and passed off their squalling boy. Once she made contact with Lucien, her maternal instincts took over. She settled the trembling child into her embrace and she proceeded to comfort the frightened child. She felt Lucien's face nestle into the left nook that was the curve of her neck. His tiny arms tried to wrap around her shoulders. She littered his face with her kisses and soft, encouraging words.

"Ma'am, please follow me," Demetrius the Erudite officer politely instructed.

She eyed the officer and gave him a curt head nod. Then she glanced at Eric. "Can you please bring his stroller up, when you're done? It's right behind you." There was another curt head nod from him. She sighed and looked forward. She strolled away from Eric and the older cop, so she could join the other officer's side. Both adults began their journey back to the Thurgood Marshall Citizenship Building. She consoled Lucien as she walked. She listened to the child's cries and whimpers. She also had to calm that anger, which was brewing inside of her. By the time she reached the Bureau of Record's waiting room, everything managed to simmer down. Lucien stopped crying and now occasionally whimpered, but mostly hiccupped. Her anger, however, just lurked in the shadows.

"Will you be alright, ma'am?" the patrolman asked, after she sat down in a plastic chair.

Nasira nodded her head. "Yes, Sir. I am feeling better, _now_ " she informed him.

"Your husband…"

'That piece-of-shit is definitely not my husband.'

"…will be up shortly. My partner, Hayes, wants to talk to him. He's a good guy. Whatever he has to say will be from a good place."

"Thank you," she told him, sweetly.

The cop gave her a head nod. His dark brown eyes focused on Lucien as he sat on her lap. The toddler stared up at the cop with his teary eyes. The officer provided the child with a warm smile.

"Hi!" he announced in a tone that was in a higher pitch. He waved to the child.

Lucien waved his hand as a hiccup ripped through his body.

"Oooh, you have the hiccups, buddy?"

The toddler whimpered and spoke a few of his words.

"Yeah?!" the officer said with an incredulous expression on his face. "Did that _really happened?"_

Lucien giggled, which caused the adults to laugh. He proceeded to speak.

Officer Demetrius groaned. He placed his right hand over his left pectoral. A look of comedic-infused, agony crossed his face. "You don't mean that?" he told the toddler.

The boy nodded his head and jubilantly discussed his story. His mother surveyed the interaction with a smile on her face.

"Well, if that's what he said, then what you're going to do?" announced the cop.

The boy cackled with glee as his chunky arms raised in the air. He fell backwards and reclined against his mother's torso. He continued to laugh at the patrolman's antics. Nasira wrapped her arms around his body. Her lips pressed a sweet kiss to his forehead. She glanced at the officer. She mouthed the words, "Thank you".

The smiling officer gave a head nod. His glittering eyes focused on the child. "Well Sir…" He stuck his massive hand out in front of him. "…it was a pleasure to have met you…"

Nasira whispered into Lucien's ear, "Go on baby, give his hand a 'five'". She released her hold on his body. She watched her son sit up, on her lap. Her son gave the cop's thick palm a firm slap. The sound of skin smacking skin echoed in the lavish waiting room, along with the boy's laughter.

"Alright!" the cop cheered.

Lucien looked over his right shoulder at his mother. "Mama," he chuckled.

"Way to go, baby" she cheered.

"Well, I must go…" the Erudite announced. He gave Lucien's hand a gentle squeeze before letting go. He stood upright. "…I'm sure that your husband will come back soon."

"Thank you…" She giggled, "again".

"You're welcome, ma'am." He looked at Lucien. "Bye," he told the child, as he waved his hand.

Lucien waved his right hand.

The officer addressed Nasira. "Have a good day, ma'am."

"You too, Sir" she told him.

He gave the child one last glimpse before he walked away.

"Mama?" The boy looked at his mother. He pointed to the retreating cop's back. "Leaf?"

Nasira nodded. "Yes baby, he left. He had to go back to work."

"Woor?" he asked with a deep crease in his brow.

She nodded, once again. "Yes, he had to go to work." She, then, witnessed her son's body shake as a series of strong hiccups fell from him. She turned her attention to the diaper bag that was sitting on the unoccupied chair that was on her right side. She searched through the bag's contents for a juice pouch. "You want some juice, Luke? You want some juicy?" After she saw his head nod, she muttered, "Good, because those hiccups are driving me up the wall". She gave the boy his juice.

"Juicy," he cooed before sticking the plastic green straw in his mouth.

Her eyes performed a glimpse at the child and she smiled. Her eyes performed a scan of the waiting area. As she peeped at the waiting area and the rows of cubicles that were twenty feet across, she also spotted the looks of distain that were tossed her way, from other people. The expressions were lingering. They only changed, when their sights landed on Lucien. Eyes filled up with sympathy and concern as they gazed at the battered-face child.

'They probably think that I am beating my child,' she surmised.

She caught her reflection in the window that was attached to a cubicle wall. She appeared disheveled and as if she had run a marathon. Her shoulder-length coils were styled in a limp and frayed bun that was styled at the top of her head. The right spaghetti strap that belonged to her sundress was off of her shoulder. Her skin appeared glossy underneath the fluorescent lights. It was due to the layer of sweat that covered her skin. 'Messy hair, frumpy clothes and sweaty skin… Yeah, I look like I'm some addict. They probably think that I am some horrible drug addict that beats on her kid.' Nasira groaned. "Great," she grumbled.

Eric resurfaced eight minutes later. Her hearing picked up the sweet ring that announced an elevator's arrival to the floor and her sight landed on the elevator bank that was fifty feet away. The doors that belonged to the carriage that was the furthest one from her location, slid open. A large, masculine body that was encased in black clothing exited the carriage and entered the department. According to Nasira's assessment, Eric still possessed an unhealthy status. His skin still carried a ghastly pale tone with a layer of thick sweat. His eyes were covered with a pair of silver framed, Aviator-styled sunglasses. She recognized them as the pair that belonged to Officer Hayes, the cop that wanted to have a private conversation with him.

'He must've known that Eric was using the Wept,' she promptly concluded as she eyed Lucien's father.

She observed the bespectacled Dauntless leader as he strolled over to her. His left hand held onto the stroller's handles while he allowed the wheels to carelessly drag across the polished, linoleum floor. Once he was in close proximity, he stood in front of her. Movement flashed in her peripheral view, right below her viewpoint. She felt Lucien's weight shift as he sat on her lap. She glimpsed at the boy and found that he changed his position. He was now sitting side-saddle on her lap. He was gazing away from his father and at a wall. 'Mmm…He's never—

"So…"

Nasira glanced at the older Eric.

"…did they call for you yet?" he asked before sniffling.

Her top lip curled to form a snarl. "No, I was waiting for you to get up here before I sign in," she notified him.

Eric sniffled once again. His head committed to a bobbing motion. His left hand performed a flimsy point to the area that was behind him. "Well… You can go now and get things started," he told her with a snarky tone.

Her anger took a peek out of the shadows that was her subconscious. Through clenched teeth, she muttered "Fine by me". She grabbed a hold of Lucien and she stood up. "I need…" She was about to pass their son off to him. "…you to wat—

All of a sudden, Lucien shrieked with disapproval. The toddler violently thrashed in between the two parents. Out of instinct, Nasira pulled the boy close to her. Her arms wrapped around his tiny body. She felt his arms and legs hug her. He buried his face in her neck.

"Nah-ohhh!" the child announced. "Mama."

Wide-eyed, she glanced at Eric and then at their child. 'Luke! I… He's never… Luke… Lukie…'

"Luke," she sweetly announced. She turned away from Eric. "Luke… Baby boy… What's wrong?" She heard tiny whimpers. She felt his body shake in her hands.

"Luke," she heard Eric say.

"Nah-ohhh," the child spoke into her neck. His arms increased the strength in their hold. "Mama," he whimpered.

"Lukie, what's wrong?" she said to her child.

"Luke?" his father softly said to the boy's back.

The lack of coldness in his voice caught her attention. She turned to face Eric. He was in the same spot, which was in front of her. His eyes were focused on their son's back.

"What's…" His blue eyes focused their line of sight on her. "…wrong with him?" he queried with the same soft tone. There was a deep frown in his brow and a soft glaze in his eyes, despite their drawn appearance. "Why…Why he doesn't want to come to me?"

'Maybe it's because you scared him by acting like a friggin' freak!' She shook her head. "I don't know why. But I am not going to make him uncomfortable. I gotta go and get this thing rolling…" Nasira took a few steps away. "…Have a seat." She didn't bother to look at the faction leader as she walked away…

* * *

 **"** **WHOOOOOOO-HOOOOO! FOOOODDDD!"**

The voracious call swiftly yanked Nasira back to the land of reality. She eyed the kitchen's entryway just as the first person entered the room. Her eyesight was greeted with a very familiar presence.

'Nadir,' her brain said with the same kind of fondness that she held for her relatives. The man's physique was different from the last time she saw him, which was four years ago, when he was sixteen years old. Rogue's best friend was a lanky kid with shaggy, brown hair that came down to his shoulders. His light brown skin was littered with acne scars and the occasional eczema rashes. Now, he was a colossal gentleman with muscles and tattoos decorating his skin. The shoulder-length hair was gone and a bald head had taken its place. His boyish face was replaced with an adult face that was handsome and held a goatee.

The elite soldier entered the kitchen with a stroll that exuded his confidence. His doe-shaped, deep set eyes caught the sight of her, as she sat at the table. A cheerful smile grew on his face. "Oh shit… _Nassy! Is that you_?!"

Nasira smiled at the lumbering man. "Hey, Nadir, honey! How are you?" she greeted him as she slipped out of her seat. She spread her arms out in preparation for the hug that she knew was coming.

"Nassy…" Nadir groaned with delight. He made his way over. His bulky frame slipped into her personal space and indeed gave her a hug. His larger arms gave her a strong embrace. "…it's so good to see you, girl!"

Nasira giggled. "You've gotten _so damn huge_ , since the last time I've seen you! What-in the-hell are they feeding you in the Defense Department?" she spoken into his broad chest.

The two Dauntless members separated and proceeded to observe each other.

"So, how have you been?" the soldier inquired. "I know that you have a baby boy. Rogue told me that much."

Her smile deepened. "Yeah, I have a son. He's one. He's—

 _"_ _Is that my favorite person in the whole-wide world?!"_

Nasira looked behind Nadir and stared at the form that occupied the doorway. Her eyes widened with surprise and a blush crept into her cheeks. Her heart raced as her excitement increased. Roosevelt Monroe the Second occupied the space that made up the kitchen's doorway. He was another long-time friend that belonged to her youngest brother. Roosevelt, or 'Rosie' as he was affectionately called, was a Candor-transferred, Dauntless elite soldier that was considered to be another brother for the mother.

"Rosie!" she squealed. She stepped around Nadir's large frame and traveled over to the entrance. Rogue's friend quickly embraced her. "How are you?" she asked him as he continued to hold her.

"I am alright, darling."

"Can you please stop fondling my cousin and move-the hell-out of the way?" Sebastian Grant told Rose, as well as, alerted the two huggers about his presence.

Both individuals parted and gave the Dauntless sniper a glare. Sebastian's almond-shaped eyes glanced at each person. There was a twinkle in his eyes and a teasing smile on his full lips.

"Hey, cuz!" she cheerfully greeted.

"What's up, Nassy," he welcomed her before kissing her forehead.

" _Hey_ … Where's my kissy-poo?" teased Nadir.

Sebastian gifted Nadir with the image of his left middle finger. Laughter erupted in the kitchen. The Defense leader's son gave his cousin an affectionate pat on her left shoulder as he walked pass her. "So what's for dinner?" he asked as his eyes took in the delectable scene that was on the counter.

"There's meatballs and spaghetti. Tortellini with cheese and butter. There's chicken alfredo…"

"Mmmm, it smells good in here."

Nasira looked away from Sebastian and she focused on the kitchen's entrance. "…Shrimp scampi and shrimp parmesan and…" The statement died on her tongue as her sight landed on another dear friend that belonged to Rogue. Her eyes landed on the locks-adorned, albino man as he filled out the doorway. His bright blue eyes were staring at her while his full, pink lips curved into a dazzling smile. Her own dazzling smile touched her lips and a husky laugh fell from her mouth. "Len!" she cheerfully gasped. Before she could approach him, she was enveloped into his arms. Sculpted arms were wrapped around her body and a kiss was given to her left cheek. Her hands affectionately patted his broad back.

"Ewwww, she even made a _salad_!" Nadir groaned.

Nasira peeled slightly away from Len, so she could glance at Nadir. She pointed her right index finger at him. " _You need_ to eat a vegetable. You can't eat junk food all of the time," she scolded.

"Oh my God," he chuckled. "You sound like a mom, most definitely."

"Speaking of which… Congrats on that, by the way," Len told her.

She glanced at him. "Thank you, sweetie."

"I advise you, Cotton Ball, to take your hands off of my sister," ordered Rogue as he returned to the kitchen.

" _Ha-ha-ha,_ " Len sarcastically chortled. Even though he had shown his lack of regard for Rogue's warning, his grip on Nasira's waist did loosen up.

" _Allll-right_ ," crooned Rogue as he approached the counter island. "But if word gets around to her old man…"

Nasira's face frowned up. ' _My old man_?!' Her dark brown eyes zeroed in on her brother. 'Who's my 'old…?' The answer flashed in her brain. 'Ugh, God.'

"…that you were hugging up on her, don't be surprise if he tries to whup your ass." There was a smattering of laughter.

Len gave her a kiss on her left temple before he released her. He walked pass her and strolled up to the counter. "From the sounds of it, you actually believe that I am afraid of Eric," Len said to Rogue.

The expression of surprise that was etched on Nasira's face did not go unnoticed by everyone else.

"What?!" Rogue said to her as he began to pile his plate with food.

Len shrugged his shoulders. "What…?"

"What? You didn't think…?" Nadir continued to talk.

" _You don't know_ , do ya?" asked Sebastian with a gleam in his eye.

'Shit, what now?' Nasira glanced at the three men. "What happened?" she said in a groan.

Each of them glimpsed at each other. Eventually, it was Sebastian who had spoken up. "It was announced today… On the city's news feed. Just like whenever Leader Holland's wife pops out with a kid… Which is like every month." The other four men chuckled.

The woman imagined the Plaza being subjected with the news of Eric's role as a father, as well as, the main strip in the Pit and inside of every building that was inside of the faction's territory. 'Well… Shit.' She sighed and rolled her eyes. 'He was right. By tomorrow night, the whole damn city will know.'

"I saw a few Dauntless men congratulating him this afternoon, in the cafeteria, being total ass-kissers," Sebastian reported. He shrugged his shoulders. "He didn't try to rip their throats out, so I think that he's okay with it."

"I saw him today, too," Len added. "He looked like shit. He was probably hungover."

"He was up in Club Inferno, last night" Rose reported. "I was there with a chick and I had seen up in the VIP area."

The news of Eric's escapades caused a feeling of disappointment to cloud her spirit. Yet, it had given her a resolution in knowing that his current physical status was due to his partying, as well as, his Wept intakes.

"He's probably there tonight, celebrating with his friends," Nadir pointed out as he added slices of the Italian bread to his plate. He aimed his gaze on Nasira. "When he comes home tonight, take it easy on him, alright?"

* * *

~*oMLo*~

"Mmmmm…" Nadir groaned in pleasure as his jaw worked over the last portion of his meal. He placed his empty plate and fork onto the patio table. Once he finished with his consumption, he spoke. "Damn Nassy! Thank you for cooking for us…" His voice was drowned out by the sounds of his companions' agreements.

Nasira blushed as she listened to the compliments that were being showered down on her. She nodded her head as a humbled "You're welcome, fellas" spilled from her lips.

"I told you guys that my sister could cook!" Rogue pointed out as he lounged on a chaise chair.

"Well, I would hope so!" added Sebastian. He sat on the edge of the bricked wall that served as a guard rail for the small courtyard. "She is Davina Grant's _daughter_ , after all! That woman could take anything and make a masterpiece-of a-meal! I'm sure she could take a pig's asshole and make it taste delicious!" There were more sounds of agreements, as well as, laughter.

As she chuckled, Nasira's left hip released a series of buzzing. 'Phone…' She glanced at her phone's case that was belted to her jeans' belt loop. Her fingers expertly removed the phone. 'I wonder who this can be.' She eyed the screen and saw that Sophie left her text message.

" _Luke is currently in bed…Snoring. LOL! BTW…Dauntless Leader Coulter is here_. :("

"Shit," she whispered. She conjured up the application's keyboard and her fingertips typed a reply. _"_ _Tell him to go home. I won't be home till later."_

Twenty-three seconds later, there was another message. _"_ _Told him. Said he won't leave. He will wait for you."_

A groan was expressed from her throat as she eyed the words. Her anger was rising to the surface. 'Fucking asshole wants things on his own terms! Fuck him!' Her fingers typed up a message. _"_ _Fine. Let him stay. I am not going to come home early. Don't worry about him. If you want to go to bed, then go ahead, sweetie."_

Fifteen seconds later, there was a message. _"_ _I'm not worry. From the way you were earlier, I think he should be the one that's worrying."_

Nasira softly laughed. 'Damn straight.'

"What's the matter, Mama? Your old man asking you when you're going to be home?" asked Nadir.

She chuckled and shook her head. She quickly typed up, "Good night" and sent the message. She glanced at Nadir as she placed her phone back. "Nope. That was my son's nanny, giving me a progress report. My Old Man—I mean, _Eric_ … He is someone that I do not want to speak to right now."

The small courtyard was filled with jeers from Rogue and his friends.

"So what did your _highly-respected leader_ do?" asked Sebastian.

She shook her head. "It's nothing big," she lied. The last thing she would do was tell them about her day in Erudite. "We managed to get into a tiff after he had shown up late," she alerted the men, downplaying the incident.

"Oh okay. So what was the disagreement about?" queried Len.

"Nothing much. He was late and I was about to leave, when he finally showed. He accused me of trying to sabotage the day's event. Then we argued. Nothing really," she explained.

"Everything okay, sis?" Nadir asked.

'No. My son's father is a junkie.' She nodded her head. "Yes, I am okay. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"If you have any problems, then let us know. Alright?" Rose told her.

Nasira nodded her head.

"Good," her cousin murmured.

The small group of diners allowed a moment to pass. A moment of silence and a moment to allow the rising tension to deflate. Afterwards, the jovial aura returned and everyone chatted.

"Alright, people! I need for everyone to put their glasses up in the air!" instructed Rogue. He waited until everyone raise their cups in the air before he resumed speaking. "A 'congratulations' is in order for two important, bad-ass motherfuckers and I like to give this toast to them before my ass gets drunk for the rest of the night," he joked. Rogue stood up and strolled away from his lounge chair. "I would like to give congratulations to two assholes that I've known since we were boys—

"You've known all of us, since we were kids, Rogue!" Rose announced, chuckling.

Rogue gave his friend a scowl. "I'm trying to give a speech and a toast, man." The courtyard was decorated with laughter. The look of scorn was swiftly replaced with a look of happiness. He walked up to the round, patio table that were in the center of the courtyard, where Len and Nadir was stationed. He stood next to Len as the man sat on the tabletop. "I would like to give a toast to the men that had my back since we were little hellions. So… Give it up to Len and Nadir!" The courtyard was immediately decorated with loud, boisterous cheering.

 **"** **WHOOOOOOOO…"** Nasira eagerly screamed into the night's air. Her ear drums vibrated with a steady throbbing. She was sure that they were loud enough to rouse several of his neighbors from their slumbers. More celebratory screams rang out into the courtyard. Nadir comically took a bow while Len just simply nodded his head.

Once the cheering died down, Nasira asked, "What are we cheering for?" She was subjected to her brother's and his friends' strings of laughter. She presented them with a mocking pout.

Len held his right hand up, a non-verbal command for the laughter to ceased. Once the laughter simmered down, he announced "I, uh… I'm expecting…" A toothy smile appeared on his face. "I am expecting my first child. Actually, _my wife_ is expecting our first child in the winter, in Jan—

"Oh my good—Len…" She rose from her seat. She traveled from the wall to his location, using a happy-infused skipping motion. She hugged him. "…congratulations, man!"

"Thank you," he chuckled.

Nasira released the man and then she glanced at her brother. "Why didn't you tell me that Len is about to be a daddy?! In fact, why didn't you tell me that he had a _wife_?!" She placed her hands on her hips. "First, there was Barney and now Len!"

Rogue tossed his hands up in a mock surrender motion. "Calm down, Mama Bear. I didn't think you would've been interested in the news," he reasoned. "Sorry."

Nasira gave him a snarl before turning her attention to Nadir. "So what about you? Are you expecting any kids, too?" she jested.

His face scrunched up in a harsh grimace. " _Hell no_!" he rapidly declared. There was more laughter. "All I did was organized a drug bust and we successfully pulled it off, last week."

Her eyes widened and her eyebrows had risen. "W-When? I didn't…" She began shaking her head. "…hear anything off of the news feed. When did this happened?"

"You won't hear about this on the news feed… At least, not yet," he said with a sly smile. "No, not yet. We're still going through some of the… _Particulars_ , but give it another week and you'll hear about it."

"Okay, I'm going to be nosy right now—

"Surprise-surprise," muttered Rogue.

Nasira glanced over her right shoulder at her brother. She presented him with a scowl. Then she returned her attention over to Nadir. "Can you—Oh, what-the-hell? I'm going to ask you anyway—What happened?"

"Without going into a shit-load of details, we ended up raiding a drug house over in the south-east sector that was close to a factionless territory. It was a definite drug-lab. There were plenty of drugs. Plenty of Wept, too. We—

"What's Wept?"

She wanted more information about it. She remembered the limited information that Hexa had given her, when they were attending Club Inferno, a few weeks ago. But, she wanted to know more about it, from a medicinal standpoint.

" _You don't know_ what Wept is?!" Sebastian stated with surprise.

"Come on, man," Nadir protested.

"You know that Nassy is a good girl," Len pointed out. "She don't know about this kind of stuff."

"But Wept is just as old as reefer!" Rogue's and Nassy's cousin replied.

Len chuckled. " _Mmmaaaannn_ … Hush up!" He slightly turned his waist, so he could pick up his bottle of beer from off of the tabletop. Once he grabbed his beverage, he focused on Nasira and said, "So, what do you want to know?"

"Um…What is it, exactly? I mean, what does it do? I know that it comes in the form of eye drops. But, what… Does it do?" she asked him.

A pale finger pointed at her. "You are correct about the eye drops." He had taken a swig of his beer. "Erudite made it, actually. Close to ninety-three years ago. It was supposed to be an anti-depressant for the people that didn't like taking pills. It wasn't on the market for too long. It was for only three years, I think. People became too dependent on the drug. People became addicted to it to the point that some grew even more depressed or suicidal, when they had gone through withdrawals. I know that there were a few murders—

"Murders?!"

"Yep. But they were 'murder-suicides'. Take for instance, a man who suffered from severe depression would kill his wife or family before he would kill himself. Or, a woman would kill her children and then herself," he explained.

"Oh… God," she groaned.

"Somehow, the drug managed to get into the wrong hands because it was manipulated and sold as a narcotic. Of course, it has been manipulated into a…" He sighed. " _different strain._ Over the years, this drug has been change and given so many names. Right now, there's seven different brands of Wept and each of them comes in different colored vials."

"L-Like?"

"Like red, yellow, green, purple, blue…" Len focused on his bottle's neck. "They all have names, too."

"What are their names?" queried Nasira.

"There's the red vial…"

Nasira immediately recalled the moment when she held the discovered glass vial in her palm, yesterday.

"…Her name is Pandora. She's the most popular one, ever since she is one of the cheapest one. She is closest to the original strain. She works like an anti-depressant, except the high kicks in quickly and it leaves just as quick…"

'The night when Luke's teeth decided to cut through…' A flashback of Eric's smiling face as he stood in her kitchen, on that late night, was presented to her mind's eye. She recalled the few minutes prior to his presence, back to the moment when he entered the living room. '…He was rubbing at his eye…' Her brain sent her a snapshot of when she stood by the bar in Club Inferno and she watched that male weeper feverishly rub at his eyelid. 'Oh my God,' her brain whimpered, just as her body grew cold.

"…When it comes to Pandora, anybody and everybody get high with her, based off of my experiences. Housewives. Initiates. Clubbers. Candor lawyers. Erudite scientists. Amity farmers. Abnegation fathers. Dauntless soldiers." He had taken another sip from the bottle. "Um… There's… There's Delilah. She's also known as 'Dee'. She comes in a light purple vial—

"Lilac," Rose interjected. Five pairs of curious eyes landed on him.

"What?" chuckled Nadir.

"What did you just say?" Sebastian asked with a perplexed expression on his face.

Rose eyed each of his friends and Nasira. A look of confusion colored his own face. "What?"

"Did just gave the _specific color_?!" cackled Rogue.

He shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. "Yeah," he announced before stuffing a piece of bread into his mouth. "I have four sisters and a mom that is an interior designer, so I had to listen to this stuff!" He glanced at Len. "You're gonna have to know this kind of stuff, Len, especially if you have a girl," he reasoned with his voice slightly muffled.

"Why, thank you, Rose… For that solid bit of information," the pale-skinned guard replied before tipping his bottle's rim at him. His blue eyes turned their gaze onto Nasira. He returned his focus on the subject at hand. "There's Delilah. She comes in a…" He glimpsed at Rose. "… _lilac_ -colored vial. Miss Delilah is a sedative. She's strong enough to knock out a bull. She is popular amongst the citizens in Candor and Erudite. I know Erudites love to use her, in order to get some sleep. Then there's Salome. She comes in a green vial. She can be a bit dangerous."

"Why?" she asked, totally enraptured with the topic at hand.

"Because… Salome is a psychedelic drug. Based off of the person, she can make them have a very good high or a horrible one. I know some people who had very bad trips with Salome, to the point, where they never touched another drug again. When it comes to her, only Dauntless and Amity people fuck with her. But, it's mostly Amity citizens. According to some of those hippies, they can communicate with nature while they're on the stuff. Ummm… There's Magdalena, or 'Mad Mags' as she is also called. She comes in a yellow vial. She is a stimulate. Magdalena will keep your ass awake better than your best batch of coffee. She is mostly used in Candor and Erudite. She helps their people stay up and study. Um, there's Lilith. She comes in a brown bottle. Not too many people use Lilith. And for the ones that do use her, they won't admit that one."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because—

"Lilith is used to keep men's dicks hard," answered Rogue. After receiving a look of disgust from his sister, he added, "I've never used her, _a day in my life_!" Sebastian and Nadir cackled into the night's air.

With a smile of his handsome face, Len continued. "There's Zipporah and she comes in an orange vial. She is the cheap sister of Pandora. Functional weepers use Zipporah. She is such a low-grade of Wept that she goes undetected for drug tests. She is used when addicts think that they could wean themselves off of Wept. Then… There's _Mary_."

"Mary? Why did you say it like that? What's so special about her?" she wondered.

She heard Nadir chuckle. "Honey… That's a whole other…" He sputtered for a few milliseconds before stating, "Len, go ahead and tell her," he instructed.

"Mary…" He stared down at his thighs. "Mary is special, because of what she can do. First off, let me just say that she comes in a blue vial and she is the most expensive one that's being sold."

"And…"

Nasira glanced at Nadir.

"…she's the one drug that we have a _hard-fucking-time_ finding! None of our informants know where she is being sold and every time we try to investigate, we keep hitting brick walls," he pointed out.

She glanced at Len. "What's so special about Miss Mary?"

Len deeply exhaled. "With Mary, she is a combination of Salome, Pandora, Delilah and Magdalena. She is what they used to call a 'designer drug'. She was created to fit the user's needs. If you want to get high and trip out, then Mary will do that for you. If you want to relax and forget about all of your fucking problems for a few hours, then Mary will do that for you. If you want to stay up all night just to giggle at some dumb shit, then Mary can do that for you. It's a drug that reads your mind and listen to your desires… Then she'll make it happen for you."

"If only Mary was an actual woman," Sebastian joked. There were a few sounds of laughter.

"Mary is expensive-as-hell. More expensive than the fish that is sold in the farmers' markets. For five-hundred credits, you can purchase _one bottle_ of your own piece of Heaven."

"Five-hundred credits?!" she sighed.

Len nodded his head. "Yup. It's why folks keep their stashes under lock and key and only break that vial out for special occasions. But with Mary, there's a catch: you cannot take her frequently. A drop in each eye… That's it. A person can become _very-very-very dependent_ on her. The thing about her is… She can suppress your brain's functions, which means that everything that the brain does could be turned off. So, while you're high and thinking that you're in Heaven, with just enough Mary in your system, your organs could shut down. You could die and you wouldn't even know it."

' _What. The. Fuck_?!'

"Yeah," he said to her as he nodded his head. "She's dangerous."

"Why…Would somebody want to use a drug like that?" she queried with an incredulous expression on her face. "Who-in the-hell would want to do a drug like that?"

"There's plenty of dumb-asses out there who would," Nadir explained. His eyes focused on Len. "Did you know that there's a new one out there?"

"Ah!" Len grunted. He glanced at Nasira. "See what I mean when I said that there's new ones and different strains?"

Nasira nodded her head. She eyed Nadir. "What's it called?"

"It's called 'Lucifer'…"

A strange sensation took over her body, at the mention of the new drug. There was a shiver that exploded in her body and it left her feeling cold. It caused her stomach muscles to become unfairly taut.

"…It comes in a black vial…"

"How appropriate," Len jested.

"…I don't know what it does, yet. My informants only gave me limited information."

Nasira stared at the man that sat in front of her. "So… People have died from using this stuff?" she reluctantly inquired.

Rogue's friend nodded his head. "I know a few people who have died from this stuff. Either they overdosed on the Mary or they had taken the Salome, got on a bad trip and killed themselves by accident."

"What about the others? Do you know if someone died off of them?"

"No," he sighed. "At most, they ended up with vision problems."

"Vision problems?"

"Yeah. The…" Len used his right index finger to point to his eyes. He drew invisible circles. "…fluid in the eye drops caused corrosion on the eyeballs' surface. If a person uses it enough, the person can become blind. It's how I can tell who's a weeper and who isn't. Chronic users eventually develop a discoloration on their eye area and around their eye area."

"What kind of—

"Redness, well, _severe_ redness in those areas and also a lot of swelling. I've seen people whose faces look like they were holding two tomatoes over their eyes. That's how bad they look."

'Damn it, Eric. You could've done anything else... _Anything else_ …But you chose to…'

Nasira slowly exhaled from her clenched teeth. The tightness in her stomach was still there, but the discomfort lessened. She eyed Len. "How come you know so much about this stuff?" she asked him with a fringe of playfulness in her tone.

"Well…" he sighed as he shifted in his seat. His right hand reached behind his back, for the back pocket that was attached to his jeans. "…that's because…" There were subtle movements from his body. "…I used to be a weeper, myself" he confessed. He brought his right hand back in front of him. In between his middle and index finger was a round, yellow plastic game token. He passed the item off to Nasira.

The mother accepted the token and she held it up with her fingers. Her eyesight landed on the red, cursive writing that was printed on the chip. _'_ _Congratulations on your six-year sobriety!'_

"I started using Wept, when I was ten years old. I began my journey with Pandora and by the time I was fourteen, I tried them all," he confessed.

"What made you—

" _Stop?_ " Once she nodded, Len continued. "Blue Mary was my 'rock bottom'. I was fourteen, when I first tried her and I ended up falling in love with her sadistic ass. On that day, I tried her out because she was being passed around at a hooky-party that I was invited to. After that first high, I was hooked. I wanted more. Like I mentioned before, she is expensive and I didn't have five-hundred credits to buy my own vial, so I…" His voice trailed off.

Nasira was able to put 'two and two together'. "You stole," she simply stated, filling in the blank.

"Without any shame," he told her. "The problem with that was the fact that I wasn't able to keep the credits that I had stolen. I ended using them on Wept. So, I ended up breaking into the home of the kid, who had thrown the party. Luckily no one was home, at the time. I ended up trashing that kid's room until I found his bottle of Mary. I had gone home afterwards and doused my fucking eyes with the shit." He released a mirthless chuckle. "I ended up drugging myself into a damn coma-like state. While I was still hospitalized, my parents had given me an ultimatum: go to rehab and get sober or they were going to put me in the Eugen Bleuler Memorial for Behavioral Health."

" _The Hole_ ," Nasira murmured.

" _Oh_ , so you know about that place?" Len stated with a tinge of sarcasm and lingering anger in his tone.

"So, you had chosen to go to rehab?"

"Yup," he announced, stretching the enunciation of the last syllable. He had taken another swig of his beer.

Nasira passed his sobriety chip back to him. "Have you ever craved the drug since you quit?"

Len's pale blue eyes gleamed as he observed her. "Every-damn-day," he confessed. "But then I remind myself of the good things that has happened to me since I quit. My wife. My job. This faction. I think about it…" He turned away from her, so he could return his bottle to the tabletop. "…and it makes the cravings go away," he clarified as he turned his torso forward.

A toothy smile slowly crept upon her face. "And now you're going to have one more reminder… _You're gonna have a baby_!" she squealed. After watching his own toothy smile erupt on his face, she squealed, "I can tell that you're sooo excited about it!" She began to bounce in her spot. "Your eyes are all sparkly and shit!" she jibed with him.

He chortled as he stared down at his thighs. Then he returned his gaze to her. "I am! I am very excited… And happy about it…" Len proceeded to step off of the table and stand on his feet. "…And I going to be super-duper happy after I fill up my plate again!" he chirped as he wiggled his light flaxen-colored eyebrows for a dramatic effect.

" _Oh come on, man_! Are you trying to take _all_ of my food that's left?!" whined Rogue as he relaxed in a lawn chair.

Len glared at his best friend of fifteen years. "Roe, man… Would you like to join your cousin on the 'Hush Bus' that I put him on? The one that is going to 'Shut the Fuck Up' Boulevard?"

Nasira's lips clamped together to form a thin, straight line. But, her case of snickers still managed to spill from her mouth. She eyed both Len and Rogue before she strolled out of their space. She returned to her original seating, which was a reclining chaise lawn chair that was a few feet away from the stoned wall.

"…you still have enough food left over… _Greedy_!" reasoned Len, before he began to stroll into the direction of the apartment's entrance.

Rogue leapt off of his seat. "Hey, man!" he shouted at his friend's retreating form. "Just don't take all of the shrimp!" he called out, before following Len's direction.

She chuckled as she viewed the duo. Then, she watched both Rose and Nadir travel to the penthouse's entrance. She was left alone with her cousin, Sebastian. Leaning into the back of the lounge chair, she looked over to her cousin. "Say Sebby, what about you?" she said to him with a smile. "Do you have a special person in your life right now?"

Her handsome cousin chuckled. His head performed a slight shake. "No. No, not me," he revealed to her. "I'm too young to settle down right now. Plus, with my position…" His lips slightly pursed. "I don't have the time. I work very long hours and I am trying to advance, when it comes to my career. It would be unfair for the chick."

"You're trying to take over your dad's spot, huh?" she playfully jibed, with a giggle attached to the inquiry.

"Yee-yeah," he declared in a light sigh. "I want to make sure that the Grant family will stay as a dynasty, here in Dauntless," he confessed.

"Well, that's good, man. I'm happy that someone wants to keep our family within those ranks," she told him as her head swayed to its center. Her dark brown eyes focused on the night's sky. Her eyes searched for the spoonful of stars that were littered in the sky. "But you and Goliath… Man, y'all two practically live in that building," she giggled.

His laughter touched her hearing. "It's the price that we pay in order to protect the city and its citizens," Sebastian reminded her.

A stream of silence passed between them. The Dauntless cousins allowed the faint sounds that came from the city to entertain the both of them. The moment of silence was disrupted, when her cell phone began to vibrate against her left hip. The repetitive motion released a dull, monotone sound into the air. 'Ugh, now what?' she said to herself. Her left hand reached down to her phone's hardcover case and fetched her cell phone. She peered at the green-toned, lighted up screen.

 _'_ _The Bigger Luke. 1 Message'_

A haughty scoff fell from her mouth. 'If he thinks that I am going to answer his every beck and call, then that bastard has another thing coming.' She returned her phone to its case.

"Are you _sure_ that you're okay, cuz?"

Nasira's eyes locked on her cousin's naturally-narrowed, brown eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," she lied to him.

"I don't know. You look… _Stressed out_ to me and you haven't been sleeping…" His almond-shaped eyes became narrower, in shape, as he surveyed her face. "…Are you having problems with Luke's dad?"

"I love how you referred one of our Dauntless leaders as 'Luke's dad', by the way," she giggled.

" _Well_ … He is Luke's father. Plus, Eric is not considered to be my leader. Every employee that works in the Defense Department only responds to two leaders: my dad and to Max, ever since he is the Alpha Regent amongst the leaders. The rest of the leaders do not hold any power or control over me," Sebastian clarified.

' _Oh_ … Well… That's some new… news, to me.'

"So?"

Nasira's eyesight landed on her cousin. "Mmm?" she hummed.

"Is there anything wrong with Eric?" he questioned. "Because if you're having problems with him, then I can have a talk to with him."

A mask of skepticism crossed her soft features. " _A talk?_ "

"Yeah, a talk… With him," explained Sebastian.

"Mmm-hmm," her throat hummed. She lightly giggled, a second later. "No, we're fine. Like I said before… _Many-many-many_ times, already. I think he's…" She softly shook her head. "…he's tired and stressed out about this new crop of initiates. This initiation process hasn't been _kind_ to him."

"I don't care," he told her as his brawny shoulders shrugged. "Just as long he is _kind_ to you and to Luke, I don't care if the initiates disrespect him every morning by greeting him with 'Hello, Captain Fuck-Face'…"

A whinnying giggle burst from her mouth while her features crumpled up in joy. Her limbs curled close to her torso and her body shifted onto her right side as she laughed.

"…As long as he is not taking his anger out on you and Luke, I don't care about his _'_ _bad days'_ when he is lording over the initiates."

Through the thin, slightly-weeping slits that made up her eyes, Nasira spotted the mild anger in her cousin's eyes. It caused the jovial energy that was burning inside of her, to evaporate. A strong shiver erupted in her body and it left a buzzing sensation to flare out in her skin. She was aware that he was protective of her, just like her brothers and every male relative from both sides of her family tree.

She inhaled and on the exhale, she said "No, he's not mistreating me".

Sebastian gifted her with a lingering gaze, for a few seconds. Then, he glanced at the majestic scenery that was on the other side of the wall. "Alright," he mumbled. "Well…" He glanced at his hands, which were casually gripping the wall's ledge. "…if there's anything wrong with him, I'm sure Matilda will—

"Who's Matilda?" she blurted out.

He gave Nasira a befuddled gaze. " _You don't know who Matilda is_?" After he received his answer, which was a subtle head shake, he stated, "Matilda _is his secretary_. I'm sure you have seen her, whenever you would visit his office. You can't miss her. She wears a lot of wigs, but she has a bald head underneath…"

A mental image of the twat-declaring, secretary flashed across Nasira's brain. 'Oh shit.'

"…Plus, she has a tattoo on her face," Sebastian pointed out. "You _have to_ know who she is."

Nasira repetitively nodded her head and held her hand out. " _Okay. Okay_. I remember her." She sat upright in her chair and she crossed her legs. "So, why would… _Matilda_ tell me anything? I've only talked to her a few times and she doesn't like me. She dislikes Eric's girlfriend even more. But she acts _iffy_ around me. And what makes you think that she knows anything about Eric? He likes to keep his business to himself."

"For starters, she's his cousin," he told her. " _And_ she is Len's wife," he stated in a casual manner.

'WHAT?!'

"Judging by the look on your face, you really didn't know about all of this?"

She shook her head. "No…No, I didn't."

His eyebrows rose, in amusement. "I think you and him need to have some more talks."

'Well… _No shit._ "

* * *

~*oMLo*~

" _I'm in over my head, I don't think of you_

 _And bits and pieces, I think of you only like a miracle_

 _Lovin' so deeply, I feel it through all my past lives_

 _It feels good, I'm never saying goodbye…"_

Nasira's eyes stared out of the rain-splattered windshield as she absent-mindedly mouthed the lyrics to the song that played from her vehicle's stereo.

 _"…_ _It feels good, I'm never saying goodbye_

 _I'm in over my head, over my head_

 _I'm in over my head, over my head_

 _Silence, they explain it to me_

 _There's no joy I can take with no one worth waiting_

 _Here for now, but not for long_

 _Whether my mind slipped away, explain that to me…"_

The bass that was saturated in the music caused the windows in her jeep to subtly rattle in their frames. She kept the stereo's volume at an ear-thumping, high volume. She wanted the loud music to be her temporary savior. She wanted the music to drown out the voices of doubt that were swimming inside of her mind. She also wanted the music to soothe the mid-level anxiety away.

 _"…_ _I'm in over my head_

 _Loving so deeply, I'm in over my head_

 _I'm in over my head_

 _Loving so deeply, I'm in over my head_

 _I'm in over my head…"_

"It's raining pretty heavily," she murmured as she eyed her windshield's wipers. 'Lucky that I left Rogue's place when I did.' Her eyes glimpsed at the dashboard's clock. The time read 'two, thirty-eight'. She acknowledged that it was too late to have a deep conversation with Eric. But it was something that needed to be done.

'What in the hell…? How am I going to bring this shit up?'

She knew that she could take a page out of Len's parents' book, by handing out an ultimatum. She knew that the Dauntless leader was going to badly react to the action. She didn't think the outcome to this action was going to sway into her favor, but it was the only thing that she possessed.

After she parked her vehicle in her assigned parking spot, her spirit was swiftly overwhelmed with a high sense of anxiety. Pressure burrowed itself into her stomach while waves of heat brushed up against her skin. Her chest ached while her heart raced. She felt as if she had just run for several miles and now she was about to throw up.

"Oh… Kay," she whimpered. She settled deeper into the driver's seat and she rested. "Okay, I can do this… I have to do this. He has to…" She roughly exhaled. "Okay, I have to do this."

Several minutes later, Nasira had to pep herself up one more time as she stood in front of the door that led to her home. Her right set of fingers hovered over the key-pad as she tried to calm down her frazzled energy. In the middle of an inhale, she opened her front door. Her feet took her inside of her home, where she was welcomed by the familiar scents that made the apartment her home. She scanned the living room and found it to be empty. There was the sensation of relief, but it was short-lived. Nasira knew that Eric wouldn't have given up on waiting for her homecoming. 'He's stubborn like that,' she concluded as she turned to face the door. She softly closed the door and then traveled further into her home. Her eyes did another quick scan of her living room while her ears searched for any sounds of movement. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she continued her search for the faction leader. It led her into the short corridor that led to the rooms. Her hearing picked up the mechanical rendition of 'Baby Mine' as it spilled into the hallway. An image of the crib's rotating mobile popped up in her head. 'Got him,' her brain concluded. Her feet took her to the doorway that led into Lucien's nursery. Her eyes picked up the sight of her target.

Her line of sight landed on the black-covered and ominous-looking figure that took up space in their son's bedroom's floor. Eric, Dauntless leader, was sitting with his broad back leaning against the crib's guard rail. The back of his head rested against a spoke in the rail while his sickly-pale face was aimed at the ceiling. His usually-handsome face looked serene with his eyes closed and with a tight-lipped stance. Her eyes roamed past his ear and picked up the sight of their son's chubby hand resting on his left shoulder. The boy's limp arm was positioned in between two spokes from the guard rail. She figured that Lucien was awake, at one point during Eric's late night visit to his bedroom.

"Eric?" she said softly.

A pair of watery, blue eyes focused on her. She noticed the condition of his eyelids. They still held redness, but now, they were swollen. They weren't the size of red tomatoes, but they were red. His skin was unhealthy pale.

'Well, here goes nothing.' She took a breath and she asked, "When did you start using Wept?"

The inquiry caused the Dauntless leader to look away from her. He closed his eyes and then took a deep breath.

'Got-damnit, don't clam up on me, now.' A frown graced her face. "Ever since…" She leaned her body against the doorframe. "…you didn't deny it, so I am going to assume that I am correct." Her arms crossed over her chest. "Answer _this_ _one_ , then: how long have you been using the Wept, Eric?" She waited patiently for an answer. A minute turned into three minutes. Her impatience was born. "Okay," she said deceptively calm. She pushed her body off of the frame. "Get out of my house." When he didn't respond to her order, she stepped into the nursery. "Eric… Get your ass up and get out of my home! Or I swear that I will call Dauntless patrol to handle your sorry ass!" she snapped in a gravelly whisper. Once again, she was met with no reaction. 'Fuck it. Let the-

"I'm sorry."

Nasira came to a halt. She stared at the reclining and relaxed man. "You're sorry?" she breathed with wide eyes. She stood in front of his feet. "You're sorry?" She looked away from him and mirthlessly chuckled. 'The fucking nerve…' She gave him a glower. "Fuck…" She stammered a few times. "Eric… Fuck your apologies. Alright? Fuck. Them. For these past couple of months, I have been hearing nothing but apologies from you because of your shitty behavior. I don't want them! Now… I want you to get out of my apartment. It's late and I am tired." She placed her hands on her rounded hips. Her eyes leveled a heated gaze at Eric.

Eric had taken several breaths before he opened his eyes and stared at his son's mother. "I've been using… Off and on… For a few years, now. I started around my first year as leader," he confessed.

"Did you use some today?"

A chortle escaped from him. "I think you know the answer to that one."

"Why are you here, Eric?" she queried, allowing her anger to be displayed.

"I wanted to talk," he informed her.

'Talk?! That's rich!' She sarcastically chuckled. " _Talk_? … _You want to talk_?" She sniggered. "You want to talk, ever since you've been a real fucking chatterbox since I came in here." She fell silent. Her sight glanced at the childishly-decorated bedroom. She took note of the fact that they were loitering in their son's bedroom. They were soiling and corrupting the innocuous energy that thrived in this nursery. It made her skin prickled while her spirit was flooded with disgust. She huffed. "I don't want to talk in here," she notified Eric, as she eyed the collage of puppy pictures that were mounted on the wall that closest to the exit.

Nasira didn't wait for a response from him. She made her exit from the boy's nursery. However, her ears did seek after every available sound that his body performed. Her feet had taken her to her bedroom. A few seconds after she entered the bedroom, Eric entered. His demeanor was calm, which caused her anger to wake up. It was as if he was taunting her. '…Son of a bitch…' her brain snarled. Her dark brown eyes focused on the target of her animosity. He closed her bedroom's door and he strolled to the center of the bedroom. His swollen and reddened eyes were focused on her as he walked into her direction. "So…" Her eyes swiftly scanned the bedroom, a sign of her rising level of adrenaline. "…you said that you wanted to talk." She focused her sight on him. "So… Talk." She folded her arms underneath her chest.

Eric's chin slightly jerked forward while he maintained his gazing. Even when he held the swagger of an emotionally-broken man, the Dauntless leader still took on the stance of a king. "I wanted to talk about what happened… Today," he confessed.

Her mind revealed snippets from the turbulent moments that occurred in Erudite. A chill filled her and her throat tightened up, as a result. "Oh… Kay," she whispered. Her body began to slightly sway. "You… Scared me today, Eric… With your behavior. I thought that you were…" Her breath hitched and it caused her to clumsily pause. She sputtered and cut it short with a firm cough. Once she cleared her throat, she finished her statement. "I thought that you were going to attack me to—

"I wouldn't have attack you," disputed Eric. He took a step closer to her. "I wasn't going to assault you."

"How would I've known that, Eric? You came up to me and automatically started _screaming_ at me. You acted as if you were about to charge into me. Then on top of that, your behavior scared Luke. You were so angry that you totally didn't see our son cry—

"Listen…" he hissed. "…I am sorry—

"I'm _fucking tired_ of hearing you say that you're sorry!" she announced in a shrilled voice. Her anger was bubbling and rising to the surface. "You're always… _Fucking sorry_!" She looked away from him and absent-mindedly stared at her closet's door. Her left arm swung out to the side and her left hand pointed over to the door. "You're fucking sorry about disappearing for a few days without a call…" She looked into the direction of her bed's footboard just as her right arm pointed in the same direction. Her face sarcastically frowned up. "…You're sorry for calling me all kinds of bitches, when you're angry…" She looked towards a corner of her ceiling. "…You're _sorry,_ when you can't even fucking commit to me, but would gladly share my bed without any hesitation!" She looked at the corner that was directly diagonal from the previous corner. With her face still frowned up, she stated, "You're _sorry,_ when I tell you about how our son _cries for you_ because he misses you and because you haven't bothered to see him!" She glowered at him. "I'm! Tired! Of! Your! Fucking! Apologies! Eric!" she growled, between her clenched teeth. With each word's enunciation, she violently clapped the back of her right hand against her left palm.

The Dauntless leader brusquely penetrated her personal bubble. His anger radiated off of him and it caused his bruised eyes to shine with a malignant energy. "Then… What-in the-fuck do you want me to say to you?!" he groaned into her face, with his level of frustration oozing out of his voice. "I am… _Fucking trying_ to be his father! _I am!_ But, you keep fuck…king nagging me and nothing that I do is ever enough for you!"

'This son-of a-bitch!' her brain hissed, just as her anger rose to a level that was on the borderline of being hate-filled rage. 'He's barely done anything!' With her eyes conveying her own level of frustration and anger, she stared at him. "You wanna do something right?!" she groaned.

Eric feverishly nodded his head. "Yeah. Tell me what-the-fuck to do, ever since I don't know what to do with my own child!" he told her with a level of disdain.

"You wanna know what you can do, right now?" She slightly backed away from him. "I just want you to stop using that shit, get sober and stay clean! That's what I want your _sorry_ ass to do, Eric!" A series of harsh breaths escaped from her nostrils. 'Well, here goes nothing.' She eyed the towering man that stood in front of her. "Get cleaned…Or I won't hesitate in keeping Luke away from you—

Nasira's statement was abruptly cut off by a sudden built-up of pressure in her lower abdomen, which was followed by a robust force that knocked off of her balance. She fell backwards and had her lower back collide violently with the edge of her chest of drawers. The impact caused an explosion of pain to occur in her lower back and caused a foggy, thick white light to knock out her vision, temporarily. A sharp, pain-filled yelp escaped from her just as the sounds of her bric-a-bracs toppling over, filled the bedroom. Before her vision returned, her intuition warned her about Eric's closeness. Once her sight returned, it was instantly filled with the image of the Dauntless leader's grimacing face. He was closed enough that she smelled the melody of odors that clung to his clothes and his exposed flesh. Gunmetal, his sweat and an unfamiliar odor that she correlated to the scents that usually accompanied prescribed medication. He was so close that the tip of his nose brushed up against hers. She felt his anger radiate off of his shoulders. The fine hairs that aligned her forearms and the back of her neck rose as a result.

"You're gonna try to _take my son_ away from me?!" he breathed into her fright-filled face. "You're gonna…" A series of shuddering breaths escaped from his mouth. It was barely controlling his rage's full potential. "You… _Fucking, evil-ass bitch_!" he cursed. He shook his head. "No… No… You're not going to take him away from me! You're—

"Err—

" _No! You will not take my son away from me_! …Or, I swear to God, you will be found in the bottom of the fucking Chasm," he threatened with a tone that was heated yet emotionally cold.

A sharp gasp escaped from her mouth. Her eyes had gone wide. 'Oh God!' A shuddering breath fell from her mouth. 'He's… He's going to…' She tried to gain some separation between the two of them, but was unable to move. She was definitely stuck between a rock and a hard place. 'Eric,' her brain fearfully whimpered. "Er—

"I mean it!" he harshly grunted. "I _will-fucking-kill you_ , if you try to take my son away from me!"

'Don't. Freak. Out,' her conscience warned. 'It's just going to make this situation turn out worse. Get him to compromise and then force him to leave.' Nasira subconsciously nodded her head, a sign of her agreement. "S-So…" The tip of her tongue licked her bottom lip. "…You're going to… To go, then?" she queried.

"Go, where?" he growled with a snarl marring his lips.

"To…Rehab," she whimpered.

"I don't…" Much to Nasira's relief, Eric backed away from her. He took a few steps backward. His red, rage-fueled eyes remained on her. "…Need—

"Eric," she deeply sighed. Her head subtly shook. "Take a look at yourself in the mirror," she suggested. A few seconds later, she jerked her head backwards, in the direction of the mirror that was attached to the chest of drawers. "Go ahead, take a look at yourself. You don't even look like yourself…" She unleashed a sigh, in hopes of slowing down her rapidly beating heart. "…Your skin is pale and sickly-looking. Your eyes are almost as red as a tomato. You're hostile. You're quick to become violent as soon as I breathe in a wrong way…" She released a deep exhale through her mouth. "…You need to get help."

His eyes glared at her. "Take my son—

"And I will… If I have to," she warned him in a firmer tone. "Just…" Her eyelids fluttered as her orbs began to sting. "…Baby, just go to rehab and get… Clean."

A throaty growl escaped from his snarled lips just as his meaty fists slammed onto the topside of the chest of drawers. The bedroom was filled with the harsh sounds of the impact, her frightened yelp and the abrasive noise of the chest's contents falling over and connecting with the wooden surface. The imposing leader drew closer to her. "You—

"Ma…Maaaaa!" sobbed Lucien. His cry shot out of the baby monitor that was on her left nightstand. It also slipped under the cracks of the bedroom's door and filled the room. For his mother, she heard the unbridled fear in his crying.

Her eyes focused on Luke's father. She watched the man pull away from her and proceed to leave her personal space. Secretly, the mother felt relief as she listened to her son's wailing. Her son managed to give her an excuse to remover herself from the toxic environment. "Eric… I got to… I got to—

Eric didn't allow her to finish her statement. He suddenly pulled away from her and strode out of the bedroom, using long and hurried steps.

Nasira knew where he was heading.

'He is _not_ go—

Her feet carried her out of the bedroom and into the short hallway. She was greeted with the heart-wrenching sounds of their son's cries. Her natural instincts caused her adrenaline to spike and her body to buzz with angst.

"Ssshhh…" she heard Eric gently spoke to the boy, in between their son's hoarse crying. "…It's alright, buddy. It's okay."

She traveled to Lucien's bedroom and she came to a halt, once she reached the doorway. Her frightful eyes peered into the bedroom. She took in the sight of both father and son. Eric stood by the side of the crib, in front of the railing. He carried the crying child in his brawny arms and performed a rocking motion, in efforts of calming the toddler. Meanwhile, Lucien cried into the lapel of his father's denim jacket. His chubby arms were folded close to his body. Nasira quietly observed the scene for a moment.

"Do you love him?" she questioned the faction leader.

Blue eyes focused on her. His jaw twitched while his nostrils flared.

"Would you want Luke to use Wept too?" she queried.

Eric's eyes peered at the tuft of tawny curls that covered the top of Lucien's head. His brow ridge became crumpled. His jaw twitched as it became tightened.

"Do you want your son to be a weeper, too? Do you want him to be in Club Inferno, dousing his eyes with that poison? Hmm? Walking around here… With red eyes and looking like he's ready to fight anyone and everyone that he comes across? Hmm?" She took a step closer. "Answer me. Do you want that life for him?"

Eric pulled the toddler closer to his broad chest. He turned away from Nasira and presented his broad back to her. His feet created short and slow steps towards the other side of the nursey, into the rocking chair's direction. "I…" He sat in the seat. "…can't do it, right now," he stated. "I have to oversee the initiation process."

"Bull," she groaned, making her level of unsatisfactory towards his excuse, known. She stepped into the bedroom as her eyes gazed at him. 'Such bullshit!' She watched the father slowly rock the chair back and forth, an attempt to calm their son and lull him back to sleep. "If you cannot enter a rehab center, then you can sign yourself up for those weekly meetings. They have flyers everywhere. I think…" Her left set of fingers lightly tugged at the locks of curls that were draped over her forehead. "…they occur a couple of nights in the week, including weekends…" She glared at him. "You can go to those, then," she suggested.

Eric's eyes glowered at her. "I can't do it, right now" he snapped. His eyes glimpsed at Lucien, who was fidgeting in his lap. "I am a leader…" He returned his heavy stare to her. "…More importantly, I am the leader that handles everything that pertains to the initiation process. I need to be ready to handle anything, twenty-four seven, Nasira. I can't just drop everything just to go—

"Eric, I'm not asking you to _drop everything_! I'm just asking you to attend some damn weekly meetings! They last about two hours and all you do is talk or… _Listen_ to other people talk. And the meetings take place in the Training Facility, which is _directly_ across from The Mind, so it's not like this is going to be a waste of time," she reasoned.

"I can't do it, right now," he repeated with his jaw clenched.

Nasira stared at her son's father with contempt. 'Eric, you're not helping me here!' she silently groaned. "Fine," she grunted, in disappointment. "If you can't go to a rehab program or to any of the group meetings, then go 'cold turkey'. Just quit using the Wept," she suggested. "You just said that you were on this stuff, off and on, for years. So… Just _stay_ off of it."

His cerulean eyes drifted their sight onto their baby boy, who was now still and on his way back to sleep.

"Eric?" she murmured. "All you need to do is keep off of it. Do you think that you could do it?"

Eric's gaze lingered on their son.

"So… you're gonna stop using the Wept? Right?"

His lips remained tightly closed and his eyes stayed on their sleeping son.

"Right?"

He didn't respond, which encouraged her levels of frustration and desperation to bloom.

"Eric… Right?" she groaned.

He remained silent. His eyes were still gazing down on their child. His gesture of reluctance to answer her question and to give her a vow to remain sober, told Nasira everything that she needed to know from the faction leader. He intended on continuing with his drug abuse. He wanted to remain a weeper. It was a fact that made the Dauntless mother feel a pain that had gone deep, past her bones and into her spirit. His reluctance to become clean informed her that he didn't love their son or her, well enough.

" _What about Anissa_?" Nasira didn't even realize that the inquiry spilled from her mouth until the last syllable had slipped from her lips.

Eric glared at her. It wasn't the reaction that she desired, but it was a reaction nevertheless.

"Do you love _her_ —

"Yes," grunted Eric.

"I remember what you told me…" Her brain scrounged up some snapshots of memories and displayed them. In particular, one pivotal memory. "… _She has your heart and soul_ , right?"

'While you just make his dick hard. Isn't that right?' her sense of insecurity whispered. Her conscience banished the emotional-malevolent entity away. 'Now is not the time.' A dull, slightly burning-like sensation took up space in the center of her chest.

She took a breath. "Well…" she sighed. A joyless smile appeared on her lips. " _Do it for her_ , then. You once told me that she saved your life. She gave you shelter, when you needed it. _She helps you_. That she saved you during your darkest moments. So… Show her just how much you appreciate her… Quit using the Wept. Become the best man for her. You said that you wanted Anissa to become your wife and eventually the mother to your children, down the line. Do you think that you could become all of those things by being a weeper, Eric?" she reasoned. "She deserves someone that's better than that and _you know this_."

Her jaw clamped shut, in hopes that he couldn't see it shake. The aching sensation was still embedded in her chest and it was accompanied by pressure. Her right set of fingertips touched the center of her chest and she lightly massaged the affected area. Inside of her mind, there was restraint.

The Dauntless leader tore his gaze away from Nasira and he gazed at their son, who was in a deep slumber.

"At least… Do it for her, Eric," she repeated herself. She continued to eye the Dauntless leader, waiting for his reaction. She received one, a minute later.

Eric, with his eyes still focused on their sleeping son, nodded his head. He took a deep inhale. "I'll do it," he said quietly. "I'll do it…" He glanced at her. "I'll stop using it. I'll go to the… Meetings, once the trials are over," he promised her.

Despite feeling the burn of frustration at Eric, as well as, the lingering feeling of her insecurity, Nasira was showered with relief that he finally agreed to attempt a vow of sobriety.

The Dauntless faction leader gave Lucien one last lingering look before he carried the sleeping child to his crib. With a gentleness that was always reserved for the boy, Eric lowered the toddler into the bed. There was a whimper and a short sigh from the boy during the descent, but he remained asleep. Once Lucien was comfortable and safe in his crib, his father peered down at his prone form and gently rubbed at his hair. "Good night, buddy," he whispered, with a hint of a smile on his face. Then he pulled away from the crib's barrier and strolled into Nasira's direction. He gave a brief glimpse and he exited the bedroom.

Nasira followed him out of the nursery and into the hallway. Her eyes took in his broad, denim-covered back as he entered the living room. Movement came into her peripheral viewpoint. It had come from his right hand. She surveyed his right hand just as the appendage slipped into his jeans pocket. She assumed that he was going to fetch the keys that belonged to his vehicle. But, when his fingers lingered, there was another assumption. Her orbs returned their focus onto his back. As he was about to cross in front of the counter island, Nasira said, "Do you have a vial on you… _Right now_?" She saw his large form come to an abrupt halt. 'I was right,' she told herself. She trekked over to Lucien's father and she gave him a glimpse before tossing over her shoulder, "Leave the vial on my counter". Her sneaker-clad feet led her on the route that led to the front door. 'If he wants to go clean, then he's going clean.'

She was midway in her traveling, when she decided to glance at the faction leader, from over her right shoulder. When she didn't hear his footsteps or feel his body in close proximity to hers, her intuition was telling her that something was wrong. She noticed the large black form was stationary, in front of her isolated counter. His head was slightly bowed forward as he ogled the countertop. She turned her body around and came to a halt, as her focus landed on the tiny, black-colored glass vial that decorated her countertop.

 _"_ _Did you know that there's a new one out there? …It's called 'Lucifer'…"_

Mentally, she reflected to the moment of when Nadir informed Len and herself about a new brand of Wept that was being sold.

"Eric?" she said softly as she took a few steps in his direction. When the leader didn't acknowledge her presence, she made a few more steps closer. "Eric… I want you to leave that bottle on my counter, okay? Now… Let's go," she ordered with a firm but empathetic tone.

The tension that was leaving the atmosphere was returning and filling up the living room. For the very first time, Nasira watched the man that she loved struggle with his addiction. He stood in front of her counter, staring at this small object as if it contained absolute control over him. She was a witness to his status as an addict, right then and there. His bluish-gray orbs darkened with his hunger and desire. He kept a steady gaze on this bottle of Wept. His cherry-colored eyelids didn't bother to blink. He wanted to make sure that his vial didn't disappear on him. His hands trembled against the white, tiled surface, a few inches away from the bottled narcotic. He kept his thick, long digits at a safe distance away from this Lucifer. It was close enough just for his fingers to swiftly pick it up, if he needed to do so. After a solid minute floated by, his digits sought the vial. His thumb, index and middle fingers picked up the item and proceeded to roll the smooth bottle in between his fingers.

"Eric!" Nasira tossed out the same authoritative tone that she usually used with Lucien, when he continued to misbehave despite her warnings and reprimands.

The Dauntless leader jerked and lost control of the vial. His eyes watched the case of Lucifer bounce on the countertop for a few times before it rolled to the center. His anger-filled, blue eyes glared at her.

Despite being afflicted by the tension, Nasira maintained an outwardly appearance of being composed. She returned an unwavering glance at Eric and she stated, "Leave… _That vial_ on the countertop and let's go".

The over-turned vial released a siren's call to the Dauntless leader, because his worn-out eyes gazed at the bottle again.

"Eric!" she hissed. She knew that he needed to be separated from that vial's vicinity. Her feet made more steps into his direction, drawing closer to the counter island as well. "Eric!" she repeated again. There wasn't any reaction to the call. 'Take it,' her conscience suggested, 'take it before he grabs it again, because he's not going to leave this place without it'.

Nasira stormed over to the other side of the counter, in a light trot across the hardwood floors. Without any reservations, the left set of fingers snatched up the object of his obsession and she pulled away from the countertop. Her ears picked up the sharp intake of breath while her eyes sought after the sink's presence. She didn't bother to glimpse at Eric, but she knew that she needed to get rid of the vial before he was able to get his hands on her. Her fingertips quickly unscrewed the black, plastic cap. Her hands reached out and hovered over the sink's basin. Once the cap became loose enough, she pulled on the cap. Before the dropper could be release, a brusque force collided into her right side. She lost control of her balance and of the vial of Lucifer. She felt her body violently cut through the air.

 ** _"_** ** _TH-THLUMP!"_**

A bright white light blinded her. Then she felt a breath-taking pain explode in her lower back and hips just as her back violently collided with the side of her stove. "Aaaahhh!" she sharply yelped upon impact. Her feet stumbled against the linoleum-tiled floor, causing her body to slightly turn. A squeak escaped from her mouth during her descent to the floor. A bright, deep red light flashed before her eyes before fading into a murky black. A deep ache penetrated the ride side of her body, which whittled its way down to her bones. Her lips parted as a hoarse moan shot out of her mouth. The mother's body rolled and pressed her front to the cold floor. Her palms slipped in between her bust and the floor, lightly scraping at the polished surface. Pain invaded her back and hips as she lain there. Her teardrops decorated the tiles.

"—hy did you do that? W-Why did you do it? Why did you…? Why? Why?"

Her ears picked up the soft, frantic mutterings despite her brain being partly distracted by the pain that was in her back.

"—W-Why did she do that? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why did she do it? No-No-No-No…"

'Get away from him.' It was her instinct and it was screaming at her to flee.

With a moan spilling from her lips, Nasira began to move against the floor. She was rewarded with another slash of pain in her back. A harsh whimper left her and a fresh batch of tears sprung from her eyes. She pressed her palms to the floor and then used her arms' strength to push her front from off of the ground. Her arms trembled from both the exertion and from the pain that raced through her body. Her left knee slid across the linoleum and then her right knee met up with its twin. With a grimace on her face and whimpers escaping from her mouth, she gingerly crawled to the wall that was furthest away from the Dauntless leader. Her palms sought after the cold wall. As she began to straightened her back, a throbbing was released that caused her body to seized up. A family of shuddering breaths fell from her while her cheeks were decorated with more tears. 'A… Oh…Kay. Okay, you can… Come on, Nassy,' urged her conscience. Her palms slid further up the wall until she was forced to kneel on the floor. Her left palm and then her right palm slid up the wall, scaling the cold dry wall until the soles of her feet were pressed against the linoleum floor. Her joints made pops as she slowly rose to a standing position.

"…Why did you do that? Wha—Why? Why? It's gone. It's gone. What…"

Nasira glanced at Eric from over her right shoulder. She viewed the father of her son as he emotionally unraveled in front of the kitchen's sink. He continued to mutter incomplete and fragmented statements, under his breath. His face held a mask of disbelief with its wide-eyed glaring and deep crease in his brow. She slowly turned her back to the wall and she gingerly pressed herself against the solid structure. "Eric…" she lightly spoke. "You don't need it…"

She continued to play the role of spectator to his bizarre behavior. It frightened her yet made her feel frustrated, at the same time. He wasn't himself. Sure, he wasn't the type of person that most people wouldn't deem as being likeable. But, he wasn't the type of man that would fall under anyone's control, easily. She was also frustrated with the fact that she couldn't help her son's father beat his addiction to the Wept. He had to commit that act, himself.

"…You said that you would do this, _remember_? You said that you would do this _for Anissa_ , remember?" She watched his head violently snap into her direction. His cerulean orbs stared at her with an immense hatred. His eyes were narrowed and his lips held a flat line. His expression caused her fear to bloom. Her eyes widened. Her heart rate picked up, which made her heartbeats feel as if they were slamming against her breastplate. "Err…ic?" she breathed. The thin flat line immediately curled into a snarl. Subconsciously, her feet filled up the little bit of space that was in between her heels and the wall.

The Dauntless leader charged over to her stationary form with the same ferocity of an angry bull. His hands snatched up her head into his hands before she could react and block the assault. The fingers from his left hand cruelly grasped her hair's bun while his right set of fingers clasped her jaw and chin. Her hands shot up and grabbed each of his wrists.

Her lips called out his name as an effort of dragging his psyche out of the drug-fueled rage that he was swimming through. "…Err—

Her voice was cut off, when his hands forced her head away from the wall, only to cause the back of her head to slam against it, a millisecond later. There was enough force behind the slam where it caused the wall decorations to shake. A deep red light covered her sight while her hearing picked up a sick-sounding thump. The pain that circulated in the back of her head, permeated from her scalp and sank into her skull. Her eyes watered. The pain snatched her voice from out of her throat. Her hands released his wrists and they traveled to the back of her head. Her fingers attempted to alleviate the pain, but she was unable to reach the spot. His thick hand was in the way. Her tear-filled eyes focused on the man that stood in front of her.

"Why-the-fuck did you do that?!" he hissed into her face. His eyes still contained a strong malevolent force. His body was taut with the same bad energy. "Why…"

'Eric,' she internally whimpered. 'Please, stop—

"… Tell me, _you bitch_! Tell me…" The fingers and palm that made up his right hand crept up to her mouth and cheeks. His hand dug into her flesh as it painfully squeezed her cheeks and jaw. The kitchen was filled with squeals and grunts of horror. He drew his face closer to her covered one. "Tell me why did you throw my shit away!" he carped.

With wide eyes and a trembling body, her fingers dug into the flesh that covered his wrists, in hope of defending herself. Her fingernails frantically scratched at his wrists. It spurred his anger. The squeeze on her face tightened. The notion that he was trying to manually crush her jaw, entered her mind. It caused a chill to crawl down her spine. Her hands proceeded to grab at his face. Fingernails scratched at the flesh that covered his chin and cheeks. He didn't attempt to move his face from out of her clutches. His eyes just narrowed and his nostrils flared.

"You're such a…" His voice was replaced with a gruff-sounding exhale. A severe grimace approached his face. His eyes shut close and he inhaled. Then a groan escaped from his throat. The sound of her sobbing distracted him. He opened his eyes and stared at her. "Shut-the-fuck-up," he grunted. "I am getting sick of your got-damned voice." His eyelids fluttered a few times before drifting shut over his eyes. A hiss slithered out of his mouth, from between his clenched teeth. "My fucking head…" he lightly groaned with pain in his voice. Another rough-sounding groan came from him. "FFFFFF-Fuc—Uck!" he moaned under his breath. The noise of a shaky inhalation blended into the melody of feminine whimpers that circulated in the kitchen. On the exhalation, he slightly lifted his face higher above hers and he scowled at her. "Just… Shut up. Just…" He grimaced once again. "Aaaa…Ugh!" his throat protested. His fingers released her face and the back of her head, so his hands could massage his forehead, as well as, the top of his head.

Once freed, Nasira's trembling hands gingerly touched the back of her head and at her face. Pain was released from both areas with every investigated swipe. Her weeping eyes remained a steady gaze at the man that was responsible for both wounds. He stood a few inches in front of her, slightly bent at the waist and with his head being subjected to nurturing caresses from his hands. 'Po…Police,' her conscience whimpered. 'Call them.' Her focused drifted off of the Dauntless leader and landed on the edge of the wall. She pictured the entrance of her bedroom. Her eyes stared at the man that stood before her, again and then she stared at the space that was in between their two bodies. 'Go,' her intuition called out, 'now'. Her right foot took a small side to the side.

 ** _"_** ** _THUNK!"_**

A large and meaty fist slammed into the wall, a few centimeters away from her right temple. A yelp and a jolt escaped from her as her eyes viewed the violent appendage.

"Didn't I…"

Her frightened eyes landed their sight on the offender, who was now invading her personal space again.

"…tell you to shut-the-fuck up?" he growled into her face.

A shuddering breath left her mouth. Her head frantically nodded, a second later.

Eric gnashed his teeth together as his unleashed a stream of groans. "You're so…" he groaned. " _Got-damned irritating_!" He stepped away from her and he began to pace in front of her. "You… And that 'Mary Sue-Happy Sunshine' fucking routine!" He glared at her. "I can see why you're alone! You're a fucking sheltered, pampered princess! You won't last _a fucking day_ in this world! You shouldn't have never made it out of the initiation trials! You shouldn't have made it into Dauntless! I should've left things well enough alone! Could've done everyone a fucking favor by shipping your ass off to the factionless! _You're a waste_! You're just as worthy as a pair of tits on a bull! You're not a warrior! You should've been shipped off to Amity! You _should've stayed_ in Amity, when you were there! _You're not a warrior_! You're not a warrior!" His feet stopped pacing in front of her. He barged into her personal bubble again. With his face hairbreadth away, he had spoken again. "You pry and pry and pry and pry and pry and _fucking pry_ into my business! Then you fucking _threatened to take my son_ away from me! _You fucking bitch_!" A gravelly chuckle escaped from his throat while a sardonic smile escaped from him. "You're a got-damned waste!" He reared away. His kept his eyesight on her. His right set of fingers ran through his mussed-up hair. Another chuckle left him. His right index finger pointed at her and playfully wagged. "You wanna know why I am with Anissa?"

A chill clung to the surface of her skin and caused her body to shiver. Pressure built up inside of her chest while her heart began to race. Her throat swiftly constricted as if she was slowly being choked. A thick amount of pressure filled the inside of her belly, causing it to aggressively clench.

His head slightly tilted to the side as his throat hummed a "Mmm?" A soft smile graced his lips. Malevolence and mischievous energies danced around in his orbs. "Do you want to know?"

'No…No…No. No. No. No-no-no-no-no-no-no…'

"Do you want to know why she is the one that I want to be with?" he queried, teasingly. He began a slow travel into her direction. "Do you want to know why?" When she didn't react to his inquiry, he groaned, "Answer me".

Still trembling, she slowly shook her head. "N-n-n-n-n-n…" she stuttered.

"No?" she heard Eric say. He laughed. His invaded her space and caused her to be backed into the wall. Once his laughter simmered down, he resumed speaking. "Anissa… _She's a warrior_. She's intelligent. She knows her way around each faction. She's outgoing. She is resourceful. She doesn't have her head in the fucking clouds! She's not imagining a _'_ _happily ever after_ ' with kids and marriage and a house with a fucking, white picket fence! She _knows about the real world_! She will battle, if she need to! Anissa will fight, scratch and bite in order to survive. She won't cower in a corner. She won't hide. She won't go to her _fucking brothers_ or to her uncle. She'll handle it on her own!" His blue eyes scanned her body and then returned his steely-eyed gaze to her face. "She's sexy and she knows this and she doesn't care about other people's opinions. She doesn't want anybody's approval. She…" His fingers pinched a flab of flesh that was on her stomach. "…doesn't hide her body like she's ashamed of it." His fingers took a hold of a lock of frayed hair that managed to drape over her forehead. "But I will say that you are a decent lay. I'll give you that much."

Nausea covered her belly and caused her mouth to be coated with a thick of layer of mucus.

His eyes flickered and his sight landed on the space that was above her head. "I'm going to…" He paused. His reddened eyes scanned her face. "I'm gonna come back tomorrow. I'm going to see Luke tomorrow and I am going to spend my time with him. So, if you don't open that door tomorrow…" A creepy, tight-lipped smile managed to slither onto his face. "…Your mother, your brothers _and_ your uncle won't be able to protect you, once I am done with you," he threatened. An observatory groan floated from the faction leader. His fingers released her tuft of hair and allowed it to bounce against her forehead. He gave her a glance and then he pulled away.

Dark brown orbs kept Eric in their viewpoint as he casually strolled away from her and then as he traveled to the front door. His didn't bother to toss her a farewell glance or a verbal goodbye. The Dauntless leader simply opened the door and slipped into the corridor that was on the other side. The soft click of the door closing rang out throughout the living room and the kitchen. It held the same startling impact that would come from a gunshot.

 _'_ _You won't last a fucking day in this world! …You're a waste!_ _…_ _You fucking bitch!_ _…_ _You won't last a fucking day in this world! …You're a waste!'_

Her mind allowed that evil beast to resurface. This time, her insecurity came back with a vindictive streak. She played Eric's anger-inspired, drug-fueled insults and opinions inside of her mind. Her spirit sank deeper and deeper into that black pit that was her sadness. Her body grew slightly numb and cold, as well as, began to shudder. Her blurry vision was scanning random points that were inside of her living room. Her parted, plush lips allowed streams of whimpers to slip out.

"Miss… G.?"

The blurry vision landed on the young woman, who stood in the threshold that was in between the kitchen and the living room, as well as, a few feet next to her right side. A small spark of surprise tapped at her conscious. She didn't hear the caretaker's footsteps. Nasira's sight took in Sophie's sleep-inspired, disheveled appearance: the pink rumpled pajamas, the mussed up brown hair and her slightly bloated face, another trait that usually came from slumber. Her jade green orbs leveled a watery gaze at her employer.

 _'…_ _Anissa…_ _She doesn't have her head in the fucking clouds! She's not imagining a 'happily ever after' with kids and marriage and a house with a fucking, white picket fence! She knows about the real world!_ _…_ _I can see why you're alone…'_

 _'_ _Fuck Nassy, you're so damn boring! Carla? She's excitement! She's beautiful and sexy and she loves to have fun! You… (scoffs) I can't do anything with you! You're dragging me down, dude!'_

 _'_ _You-You don't understand, Nass… She's my wife! I can't just leave her…I made a vow to her…She's important to me. I…'_

 _'_ _(laughs) You actually thought that I wanted you… (laughs) I never wanted you. I just wanted to see what you could do for me. You're a part of the Dauntless Dynasty…'_

 _'_ _She's…Pregnant. She's pregnant, Nass. I can't just… Desert her and the baby. They both need me… (laughs with a sincere fondness) And I need them…'_

Emotionally-painful memories were drudged up and blended with Eric's harmful words. Images of ex-lovers' faces popped up in her mind, along with the moments of when they broke her heart. The last statements that were created during the duration of their relationships echoed inside of her brain, making her heart and spirit feel the after-effects. Then, as she felt herself slip deeper into despair…

Her insecurity whispered, 'You won't ever be good enough… For anybody.'

"Miss G.!"

The hardness that came from the kitchen's floor collided with her kneecaps. She felt her throat constrict and softly tremor while her ears picked up the soul-startling sound of a sob. A millisecond later, warm palms and soft fingers touched her. They held a firm grip on each bicep and then they led her into the warm embrace that was covered in soft flannel.  
"I gotcha, Miss G… I gotcha," the caretaker whispered as she wrapped her arms around her employer's trembling, shoulders. "You're going to be okay… You're going to be okay. You're going to be fine. You're safe with me. It's okay to let it out…"

Hearing those words of comfort caused the remnants of the emotional dam that was erect, to disintegrate. A brusque, anguished cry escaped from her body as she violently shook. Her limber arms managed to wrap around Sophie's frame and her fingers desperately snatched up the pajama's flannel fabric. Her mouth and throat sang emotionally turbulent songs of sobs and wails into the young woman's shoulder.

"….Ssssshhhh… It's alright, ma'am. Miss G., it's going to be alright."

* * *

~oMLo~

Sophie was every bit of a caretaker. She continued to hold onto Nasira as she cried. She sat on the linoleum floor and listened to her employer's sobbing. Her lips provided words of comfort while her hands caressed her back. She remained there until Nasira's painful cries became soft whimpers and the tautness in her body turned lax with resignation. She released the older woman and she gave her a promise of her return before she left the kitchen. She returned for the mother, twenty-two minutes later.

Still covered in a daze, Nasira allowed her son's nanny to lead her out of the kitchen, into the living room and then to the bathroom. As they walked closer to the bathroom's entrance, her ear picked the sounds of water crashing into her bathtub. Once she stepped foot into the tiled room, she was struck on the face by the thick veil of humidity that came from the bath water. Her focus landed on the acrylic, free-standing claw-foot bathtub as it was being filled with steaming water and soapy foam.

"I am going to leave you alone so you can get undress and ready for your bath," announced Sophie. "I'll be back later." The nanny made her exit and gently closed the door behind her.

She numbly stood in the center of the bathroom. Her nose picked up the floating fragrances of lavender and eucalyptus leaves that were circumventing in the air. It was her favorite scents for when she would take her baths. It usually would relax her while she would allow the heated bathwater to relax her muscles. Nasira's eyes numbly scanned the bathroom's contents. Her eyes landed on her reflection from the mirror that was mounted above the sink. She hated seeing the sight that welcomed her. It was the image of a weakened and foolish woman.

 _'…_ _I can see why you're alone! You're not a warrior! You should've been shipped off to Amity!_ '

She grimaced and then turned away from the mirror that was mounted above the sink. Her hands proceeded to strip her clothes from her body. She carelessly tossed each article of clothing onto the tiled floor. She tested the water's temperature before she stepped inside of the tub. She sank deeply under the water and suds.

 _'_ _You're a waste! You're just as worthy as a pair of tits on a bull!'_

Nasira gathered air into her mouth and she fully submerged herself. Hair's appearance, be damned. She wanted to escape from those terrible words and from the memory of that gut-wrenching interaction. Her action proved to be a foolish notion.

 _'…_ _You shouldn't have never made it out of the initiation trials! You shouldn't have made it into Dauntless! I should've left things well enough alone! Could've done everyone a fucking favor by shipping your ass off to the factionless! You're a waste! You're just as worthy as a pair of tits on a bull…'_

They were louder and more vivid, now. She sprung her head from underneath the water. Her hands reached up to her face to wipe off the soapy foam. Sharp pain stabbed at her jaw and cheeks, when her fingers stroked at the skin. A memory of Eric's hand clutching her face flashed in her brain. Fear touched her spirit as she recalled the terrifying moment.

 _'_ _So, if you don't open that door tomorrow…Your mother, your brothers and your uncle won't be able to protect you, once I am done with you...'_

Her fingers gripped onto the edge of the tub as a light, wavering gasp escaped her mouth before she fell into a weeping spell. Eric's words continued to speak to her. During her crying, she eyed the bathtub's faucet as the water poured out. Gingerly, she traveled to the front of the tub and she closed the valves.

 _'…_ _I can see why you're al—_

"Alright Miss G., I had taken out…"

Nasira turned away from the valves and she eyed the nanny as she finished entering the bathroom. Sophie stood in front of the toilet as she placed a folded up towel onto the lid.

"…some pajamas for you…" The caretaker then removed the blue bathrobe from off of her forearm and she hung it up on the door. "…and I also made you some Amity, Orange Pekoe tea for you," the teenager announced.

"Thank… You, Sophie," croaked Nasira as she slid back in her rightful space. Her tone sounded hoarse and ragged.

The nanny glanced at Nasira and she smiled. "No problem, Miss G."

"Do you want me to wash your back for you?" the young woman asked.

Nasira nodded. "Okay," the mother said gently.

She made her way over to the rack that held both mother's and son's washcloths. She grabbed Nasira's soft, pink wash rag. She made her way over to the edge of the bathtub, where she sat on the rounded edge. She reached across the tub, behind Nasira's head and shoulders, to pick up the bar of soap from the dish that sat on the other side of the tub.

Nasira drew her legs closer to her chest and she wrapped her arms around. She rested her chin on her knees. Seconds later, she felt Sophie drag the wet washcloth over her back and shoulders. When the rag touched her lower back, a blunt force of pain struck that small area of skin. Her face changed into a slight wince temporarily. She pressed her forehead against her knees as the teen continued to doused her back with water.

"I… I heard what he said to you," confessed Sophie as she lathered the washcloth with the soap, after a while.

 _'…_ _You're not a warrior! You should've been shipped off to Amity! You should've stayed in Amity, when you were there!'_

The mother closed her eyes and roughly sighed. She willed the potential tears away. She was becoming tired of crying.

Sophie pressed on. "I woke up around the same time, when Luke called out for you. I was about to get him, when I heard your voice in the hallway. So, I had gone back to sleep. I woke up again, when I heard a loud bang come from the kitchen. I thought that you probably had fallen, so I came out of the room and I had gone into the hallway. I was in there, when…" Her voice trailed off. A sigh was made. "I heard what he had said to you," explained Sophie.

 _'_ _I can see why you're alone! …You shouldn't have never made it out of the initiation trials!_ _…_ _She's a warrior. …You're just as worthy as a pair of tits on a bull! …You're a waste!'_

"Miss G.? Please forgive me for sticking my nose in your business, but… Uh, I want to tell you… That you're fucking awesome…" She came to an abrupt halt. Then, in a humbled tone, she murmured, "Um… Ma'am".

Nasira's nose picked up the smell of vanilla and honey from the soap's lather. The washcloth touched her back, in the fashion of swipes.

"I-I-I-I don't know what is wrong with Dauntless Leader Coulter, but he's absolutely wrong about you," she told her employer. " _You_ are smart and resourceful and strong… And-and… Compassionate and you care about everybody. I'm sure that you could be a _better leader than him_!" She covered Nasira's back with warm water, washing away the soap. "And you shouldn't be ashamed for not knowing what goes on in the dangerous parts of the city. It just means that you were raised by parents who loved you and cared for you. If you ask me…" She allowed the washcloth to drag over the back of her Nasira's neck and shoulders. "…I think he is envious of you. I mean, with the fact that you have a nice family."

'Envy—

"Envious?" Nasira croaked as she rested her chin on her knees.

"Yeah," the woman chirped. "Envious. I think with Dauntless Leader Coulter, he didn't have a very nice… _Home life_ , when he was a kid. He acts like it, sometimes. I can see it," she explained. Once Nasira's back was cleaned of soap, she announced that she was finished. She passed the cloth and the bar of soap to her employer's right hand. "I'm gonna go back to bed, now." She lifted off of the edge of the bathtub. "Don't forget about your tea. I left it on your stove. In regards to Luke, I will get up with him tomorrow. Well…" She rolled her eyes and softly smiled. "… _later on today_." Her right hand performed a non-committal wave. "So, if you want to sleep in, then go right ahead."

Teary eyes stared at the nanny. She nodded her head.

A few seconds of silence floated by, when she spoke up again. "What happens if _he shows up_ later on? What do you want me to do?" queried Sophie. Her voice was laced with concern and with a fringe of fear.

Her brain flashed an image of Eric's rage-filled face. She shivered as a fearful sensation flooded her spirit. "Let…" She sighed. "Let him in," she informed the teenager. "Let him in, so he could spend time with Luke. But…" She looked to her kneecaps. "…I won't come out and deal with him. You don't mind dealing—

"No, I can handle him… Despite him being a scary-ass, douche-bag," confirmed Sophie. A period of silence happened before the caretaker announced that she was returning to bed. "Good night, Miss. G."

"Good night, Sophie," mumbled Nasira. She watched the young woman turned away from the bathtub and walk to the door. As she exited the bathroom, the mother managed to think, despite having Eric's raging statements swim in her mind, 'She indeed is a great caretaker'.

* * *

~*oMLo*~

 ** _"_** ** _PAH-TUNK! PAH-TUNK! PAH-TUNK! PAH…"_**

Nasira's eyes slowly slid over her eyeballs. Her blurry vision focused on the wall that was several feet in front of her. Her dullen sense of awareness reported all of the noises that were surrounding her: the overjoyed shrills of Lucien's chattering, the boisterous sound effects that came from the program that played off of the vid-con, the ringing from the doorbell and Sophie's bare feet strolling against the wooden floorboards.

 ** _"…_** ** _PAH-TUNK! PAH-TUNK!"_**

There was the sound of the door opening.

"Good afternoon," she heard Sophie greet the person.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. I have a certified letter for a Miss Nass-Era Grant."

'Delivery man,' Nasira's brain alerted her. She made the move to roll onto her back and she was met with immense stabbing pain. It was centered in her lower back and the after-shocks drifted off into the middle of her back. The muscles in stomach tightened in response. A clumsily gasp fell from her lips.

"Oh, I can sign—

"Fee-Fee!" announced Lucien.

"Hey, little fella!" the delivery man cheerfully greeted the boy.

"Lukie, go into the living…"

Nasira continued to listen to the activity that was occurring inside of her living room as she slowly moved her body into a prone position. Once she landed on her back, she breathed a sigh of relief. She stared at the ceiling as she slowly relaxed her limbs again. Her eyes felt strained and swollen. There was a steady throbbing in her jaw. She took note of the discomfort that was laced through her body. Her back was aching while the back of her head was in pain. She recalled the last time she felt this way. She was an initiate and she would wake up every morning, with these kinds of aches and pains.

"…room and watch your cartoons," instructed Sophie, in a kind tone.

"Bye-bye, sir!" the delivery man told the toddler.

"Nigh-nigh!" chuckled Lucien.

The delivery man laughed.

Then there were the sounds of the toddler's chubby feet trotting across the floor and his laughter.

'Time to get up,' her conscience told her. Nasira kicked the flat sheet and the comforter from off of her legs. She winced as slight discomfort tapped at her lower back. Every bit of movement agitated her back. 'If I'm going to feel like this for the rest of the day, then I might as well stay home tomorrow.' She looked at the headboard. 'Okay, I gotta…' She lifted her head off of her pillow and was welcomed with sharp pains in her neck and head. She groaned and grimaced before settling her head back on the pillow. Her eyes stared at the ceiling. 'Okay, I can't… Deal with this shit.'

There were soft taps to her bedroom's door. A second later, the sound of her door opening filled her ears.

"Miss G.?" It was Sophie.

"Mama!" And Lucien was accompanying her.

"Lukie, please… 'Member what I told you? You have to…. _Ssshhhh"_ the nanny kindly reminded the child.

"Ssshhh!" he repeated before dissolving into giggles.

The interaction caused Nasira's spirit to glow despite being submerged in discomfort. "I'm awake, Sophie," she announced, still staring at the ceiling.

"Mama!" she heard Lucien shrieked. Then the bedroom was filled with the soft thumping sounds of feet paddling across the floor.

Nasira knew where he was going: the footboard. It was the toddler's method of climbing onto her bed. Soon, the bedroom was filled with his grunts of exertion.

"Lukie, lemme help you," she heard Sophie told him. Once the nanny aided the boy, he festively crawled over to his mother. "Mama." He straddled his mother's waist and sat on her stomach. "Mama," he greeted her.

Nasira lowly groaned. His added weight added more pressure to her lower back, which agitated the sore spots. Her eyes peered at her son. "Hey, my big boy!"

Chuckling, Lucien said, "Mama". He leaned forward and pressed his hands on the center of her chest. Then he added his upper body's weight on her. The pain in her back amplified.

'Christ almighty!' she silently screamed out in pain. A whining grunt escaped her mouth while her eyes briefly bulged. A harsh exhale shot from her nose. "Sophie?" she groaned.

"Yes, Miss—

"Can you please take Lucien out, into the living room? Or at least, get him off of me? My back…Hurts, right now," she expressed through the pain.

"Oh sure." There were a series of footsteps and then Sophie's presence was at Nasira's bed side. "Come on Lukie. Your mama is sick and she has to feel better," she explained to the child. "Oh! Before I forget. This letter…" Sophie held a white manila envelope in front of Nasira's eyes. "…came for you, just now. I was going to leave it on your nightstand because I thought that you were asleep."

Nasira reached out for the envelope and held it in her hand. She glanced at the caretaker. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"You're welcome." Sophie turned her attention to Lucien. "Come on, Lukie-Bear, let's go into the living room and leave your Mama, alone."

"Nigh-Nigh," the child chirped as he waved his hand in front of his mother's face.

Nasira chuckled. "See you later, baby."

The giggling boy was plucked off of his mother. The pressure disappeared and the amount of pain that she was experiencing lessened. Her eyes focused on the teenager and her son.

"Miss G., do you want me to fix you something to eat while I am in the living room? I also get you something from the medicine cabinet as well," the teenager suggested as she settled the rambunctious child in her arms.

"Yes," the mother moaned. "There's some muscle relaxant cream and a bottle of acetaminophen in the medicine cabinet. You can bring that in here."

"Oh yes, yes, of course. But I would like to make something to eat before you take those pills," the caretaker offered. "Those pills will bother your stomach if you take them without eating something."

'Oh, right.' Nasira stretched the arches in her feet. "You're right," she sighed. "There's some oatmeal in the—

"No problem, ma'am. I'll make you a bowl. But I'll bring in the muscle relaxant cream in here, okay?"

Nasira nodded.

"Let's go, little boy" the teenager said to the child.

"Bye-bye, baby," Nasira announced to the child.

Lucien waved to his mother. Both women laughed.

Sophie glanced at Nasira. "I'll come back with your stuff."

True to her word, the caretaker returned to the bedroom, a half of an hour later. She came into the bedroom with a tray of food in her hands and a smile on her face. Her eyes glanced at Nasira. "I see that you've managed to sit up," she told her employer as she approached the bed.

Nasira's eyes peeled away from the document that she held in her left hand, just to focus on Sophie. "Yeah and it was a damn battle, when it came to getting to this point. Right now, my back feels like it's on fire."

"Oh," whimpered Sophie. "I'm sorry to hear that." The teen settled the tray onto the foot of the bed, on the unused side of the king-sized bed. "Miss G., let me put this cream on your back…" The woman plucked up the small, plastic jar from off of the tray. "…I'm sure that you cannot reach your back to put this on." The teen made her way over to Nasira's side of the bed.

"Oh, alright," the mother whimpered. She gathered the strewn papers off of her lap and placed next to her, on the unused side of the bed. She took several breaths, gathering her courage to face the pain that was waiting for her.

"Just take your time," the woman told her.

Nasira smiled at the woman before she made an attempt to lay down. The action took a while, with her careful movements and several pauses when the pain became distracting, but she managed to make it to a prone position. 'It ain't over yet,' her brain warned her as soon as her head rested on the pillow. She grimaced in frustration.

"Just continue to take your time, ma'am," commented Sophie.

"Sophie?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Are you sure…" Nasira grunted. She gingerly made it onto her left side. "…you want to become a cop and not a doctor or a nurse?"

"Why do you say that?" the nanny giggled.

"Because…." She managed to roll onto her belly. A husky groan escaped from her. "...you have the patience like a doctor and a nurse," she answered. Her voice was muffled, due to the pillow on her face.

"Thank you… I guess."

Nasira giggled into her pillow. Her head swiveled and she pulled her face from off of the fluffy pillow, so she could look at the caretaker. "It was a compliment, Soph." She smiled. "Okay. I am ready now."

"Alright," the teen murmured before drawing closer to the bedside. She unscrewed the cap from the jar and placed it on the nightstand. Both women took in the pungent, menthol-scented odor that immediately flooded the bedroom. She placed the jar on the bed. "I'm gonna lift up your top, okay?"

"Mmm-hmm," the mother hummed, granting the woman the permission. Seconds later, soft skin lightly brushed her flanks and then there was the fabric from her night gown. Her hearing picked up a sharp and loud intake of breath. It caused Nasira's alarms to start buzzing. Her dark brown eyes stared at Sophie's scarred face. She immediately noticed the expression of mild horror that was there. "Soph… _What is it?"_ she queried with her concern being shown.

"You back…" she whimpered. Her green eyes focused on her employer's face. "…it's all bruised up."

"How bad is it?" Nasira knew which action caused the battered skin. She recalled the moment when her back collided with her stove.

"It's… _Bad_ ," the teen answered.

"I want to see it," the mother confessed. "I have two mirrors on my dresser. Bring them over here."

"No. I have my phone. It has a camera on it," the caretaker suggested. She dug through the back pocket of her jeans and she fetched her cell phone. "I want to take a picture of it. You can look at it from there."

"Okay," she murmured.

The teenager swiftly took several photos with her cell phone's camera. "Ohhh…Kay. I am done." After she was done, she presented her employer with an impromptu photo exhibition.

'Oh…My…God.' Her wide, shocked filled eyes surveyed every photograph that was presented. Each image was the same, but each passing photo made her stomach feel wrought with tension. In each image, she was shown the large bruise that marred the middle and the lower portion of her back. The bruise was discolored with burgundy and plum-covered tones. Her skin was cracked in some sections. The cuts were already beginning to scab over and heal.

"I can't put any of that cream on your back, ma'am, because of the cuts. But you could eat the oatmeal and take the pills," suggested Sophie.

"Okay," whimpered Nasira. She handed the nanny the cell phone.

"Do you want me to help you get back up?" the teenager asked her as she stuffed her phone back into her jeans' pocket.

"N-No," she whimpered.

Sophia's head performed a nod while a grim smile formed. "Okay." She stepped away from the bedside and she walked to the footboard. Meanwhile Nasira gingerly climbed back into her upright position. The caretaker returned to the bedside with the tray of food. "Here you go," she announced as she placed the tray onto her employer's lap.

"Thank—

 ** _"_** ** _PAH-TUNK!"_**

Both women looked towards the bedroom's door.

"Door-Or!" Lucien shrieked from the living room.

 ** _"_** ** _PAH-TUNK!"_**

"Miss G.? Do you think that's… _Him?"_ whispered Sophie. Her voice was laced with concern.

Nasira glimpsed at the teen. "If it is, then let him in, like I said," she clued the teen in. "But I am going to stay in here."

 ** _"_** ** _PAH-TUNK! PAH-TUNK!"_**

"Door-Or!"

The teen glimpsed at her employer. "Okay, ma'am." Sophie glanced at the tray of food. "I'll come back for the bowl and the tray later on."

Nasira nodded her head. "Okay. Sophie, close my door, please" she softly ordered.

The teen nodded her head. "Yes, ma'am." She grabbed the jar and placed it on the nightstand. She glimpsed at the mother. "I'll talk to you later."

Nasira nodded. She watched the younger woman leave her bedroom. She softly closed the door after she exited the room. The intensity of the doorbell's ringing became lesser, once the door was shut close. A millisecond later, the bedroom's atmosphere was filled with her sobs.

 _'—_ _You shouldn't have never made it out of the initiation trials! You shouldn't have made it out of Dauntless! I should've left things well enough alone! Could've done everyone a fucking favor by shipping your ass off to the factionless! You're a waste! You're just as worthy as a pair of tits on a bull… Anissa… She's a warrior…_ _Anissa will fight, scratch and bite in order to survive. She won't cower in a corner. She won't hide…_ _You're not a warrior! You should've been shipped off to Amity! You're a got-damned waste…'_

Ever since her line of sight took in the images' details from Sophie's cell phone's screen, her mind began to be inflicted by Eric's punitive statements. She unwillingly suffered from the flashbacks of the event that occurred on the night before. She recalled the moments when she became the victim to Eric's cruelty. Her spirit dampened. Her body began to tremble.

 _'…_ _You're a got-damned waste…'_

Her hands had clutched onto her skull as she bowed her head. Her hand violently squeezed at her skull, hoping that it would smother the roaming thoughts. In the back of her consciousness, she was aware that it was illogical action. But she was at a desperate point. She wanted the Dauntless leader's voice and his words from out of her head.

 _'—_ _won't last a fucking day in this world! You shouldn't have never made it out of the initiation trials!_ '

Even when his mind, body and soul was wrapped in his next available chance at getting high, Eric was still a calculating fighter, according to her. The Dauntless Leader didn't become a leader due to an unfair advantage. He worked for that goal and highly-esteemed privilege. Now, she understood just how smart and vindictive he could've been. His hands left her with bruises and cuts on her body, but his mind was able to inflict unseen wounds. She felt that mental blows that he had given her was far worse.

 _'…_ _You fucking bitch...You're a got-damned waste!'_

She felt like she was a moth that was caught in a jar, only to have a magnifying glass aimed at her. Eric was able to expose her insecurities and exploit them. He was well-aware of her past romantic history and he knew about the lasting emotional effects that plagued her soul.

 _'…_ _Could've done everyone a fucking favor by shipping your ass off to the factionless! You're a—_

Three taps penetrated the air. It yanked her from out of her thoughts. Her dark brown eyes focused on the bedroom's door. Her intuition told her that it wasn't Sophie that was standing on the other side of the door. A coldness enveloped her and it was the brand of frigidness that couldn't be dealt with by wrapping herself in her blanket. She shivered. 'Go away,' she silently groaned as she continued to eye the door. The bedroom was decorated with more sounds of door knocking.

"Nass-

Before he could finish his calling, he was interrupted. Her hearing picked up Sophie's muffled voice. She couldn't decipher the statement, but she had a hunch that the caretaker was telling the Dauntless leader that she was asleep. 'Please listen to her… Please, go away.'

Eric had chosen to ignore Sophie's message. Her bedroom was filled with more knocking sounds.

"Nassy… Open up the door," she heard his voice penetrated through the wooden door. His tone was thick, but lacked the hostility that was there on the previous night. His sounded… Remorseful.

'No,' her conscience groaned. 'No, he's not… He is unable to feel remorseful.'

There were more knocks. "Nass, open the door," he commanded, a few seconds later.

Once again, the mother heard Sophie's muffled voice. Her tone was surprisingly forceful towards the brawny leader.

"Nass… Open the door… _Please_."

A meek sob fell from her mouth as she buried her face in her heads. Her spirit burned with shame. Here she was… Sitting in her bed, bruised and deeply wounded by this man… And she was worried for his well-being. Here she was, sitting in her bed and staring at her closed bedroom door, wondering if he was going to be alright.

Her hands touched the handles that were attached to the tray and she removed the item from off of her lap. Then she slid her body into a prone position and rolled onto her left side into a fetal position, disregarding the tenderness that marred her back. Her fists were pressed against her mouth and were subjected to the onslaught of muffled cries. Her hazy, tear-filled vision absent-mindedly stared at the birth certificate that was left on the other side of the bed. She was able to read the content that was caught in her line of sight, after a pair of tears escaped and before a fresh batch came to the helm.

' _Eric Lucien Coulter, Junior'_

More knocks. A second later, his voice entered the bedroom.

"Nassy… I'm sorr—

His voice abruptly died off. Sophie wasn't responsible, this time. He stopped speaking on his accord.

Nasira knew that his presence still remained on the other side of the door. She felt it.

Then, she was gifted of the sounds of his retreating footsteps. They managed to blend in with the sounds of her cries.


End file.
